Rabbi Moshe Itach, a father of three who heads an educational framework for children with high-functioning autism, described the terrifying hours he endured after learning that his young son had been present at the Yerushalayim daycare where a fatal incident unfolded. Speaking with Kan Moreshet, he recounted how the family struggled to locate their child amid widespread confusion.
“My wife called me in the middle of the day to say there had been an incident at our son’s nursery and that six children had been taken to hospital. We didn’t know who had taken them, where they were taken, or what condition our child was in,” he said. For roughly two hours, the family went from hospital to hospital across the city, desperate for answers.
“Those were two hours of complete uncertainty. You hear rumors, people are talking about infants in serious condition, and you don’t know where your child is. In the end, we discovered he was at Shaare Zedek. Thank God, he’s fine,” Itach added, expressing visible relief.
Even as he spoke of his own son’s safety, Itach emphasized the broader national grief that followed the incident. “Yesterday, Klal Yisroel lost two children. It’s an unimaginable tragedy. It’s hard even to think about it. There are no words that can comfort parents who have lost an infant,” he said.
Responding to criticism directed at the daycare’s employees, Itach said he felt compelled to speak up on their behalf. “I know the head teacher, the caregivers, and the assistants. These are devoted women who chose this profession out of a sense of mission – not out of necessity. My son was happy to go to the nursery and happy to come home. That is not something to be taken for granted.”
He also pointed to structural problems that place families and caregivers in an untenable position. “The state makes staffing difficult, the pay is low, and parents – especially young couples studying in yeshiva – are often forced to choose between cost and safety. It’s an impossible situation,” he said.
Concluding his remarks, Itach called on parents to engage in honest self-examination. “Every father and mother needs to ask themselves: Where am I sending my child in the morning? Is this a place I can truly trust? This isn’t about blame. It’s about responsibility.”
{Matzav.com}
Another Rosh Chodesh morning at the Kosel unfolded amid tension and frustration, as regular mispallelim reported preferential treatment for a Reform women’s group, while hundreds of people were delayed or blocked from entering the plaza.
According to on-site reports, the arrival of the group that identifies itself as Women of the Wall created a charged atmosphere from the early morning hours. Journalist Nati Kalish, reporting live from the scene, said many mispallelim were forced to wait extended periods before being allowed into the plaza.
Kalish described unusually long security checks. “A line of at least an hour, and even more, in the morning cold,” he said, explaining that guards allowed mispallelim through one at a time while carefully inspecting every item. He claimed the delays were intentional, aimed at keeping the plaza relatively empty during the group’s prayer.
Much of the anger, according to the report, stemmed from how the Reform group was brought into the compound. “They go in first, bypass the line and simply enter,” Kalish said, adding, “It’s infuriating to see people in their 60s and 70s standing in the cold and waiting, while they walk straight through as if the place belongs to them.”
Witnesses also reported pushing and confrontations during the prayer itself. Accounts from the Lev Center said the group positioned itself near the partition, used loudspeakers, and prayed loudly. “The goal is one thing—to disrupt and to harm the sanctity of the Kosel,” Kalish said, adding that there were also incidents of violence directed at ushers.
Kalish reported that the group remained at the site for roughly an hour and a half to two hours before leaving under escort. “They’re treated with respect here,” he said, noting that only after their departure did services for regular mispallelim return to normal. Among other things, the coffee stand in the plaza was reportedly shut down while the group was present. “On Rosh Chodesh they don’t serve coffee to mispallelim out of fear of ‘unusual incidents.’ Only after they left did everything reopen.”
He also described the reaction of regular mispallelim . Many, he said, stood davening with their hands over their ears. “Hundreds of people are literally blocking their ears just so they can concentrate on tefillah and not hear the shouting,” Kalish said. He noted that about 100 yeshiva bochurim from abroad arrived later in the morning, singing and davening loudly, which largely drowned out the voices of the radical, controversial group.
The broadcast ended with a public call to attend the Kosel in large numbers next Rosh Chodesh, for the month of Adar. “The more Jews who come to daven, the less chance they’ll be able to get in,” the hosts said, calling the situation “a scandal that repeats itself every month” and urging those responsible for managing the site to intervene and safeguard the sanctity of the holy place.
{Matzav.com}The mother of Leah Goloventzitz a”h, who died in the tragic incident at a daycare in Romema, issued a public statement distancing her family from violent demonstrations linked to the debate over the proposed autopsy of her daughter’s body.
In a personal message addressed directly to the public, Brocha Goloventzitz wrote that the family is enduring an unbearable loss and, amid their grief, is also being forced to contend with rumors, interpretations, and misinformation circulating online and in public discourse.
She said that over the past 24 hours, the family’s tragedy has been tied to violent protests surrounding the intention to conduct an autopsy, stressing unequivocally that such actions do not reflect the family’s path or beliefs.
The mother emphasized that aside from those directly involved, no one truly knows the facts that led to Leah’s passing. She noted that the family has been exposed to headlines, images, and statements taken out of context, some of which are based on partial or incorrect information that does not represent the full reality.
Addressing the decision to oppose an autopsy, she wrote that the considerations and steps taken by the family after the incident are not known to the public. Those decisions, she said, were made only after thorough consultations and careful deliberation, including receiving information from police and medical professionals. She added that even the family itself does not yet know the complete picture, describing days without sleep or appetite as they struggle to understand what truly happened.
In closing, Leah’s mother appealed to the public to act with ahavas Yisroel, to halt the spread of unverified information, and to allow the family to mourn their devastating loss without the addition of unnecessary pain.
Earlier today, Israel’s High Court ruled that an autopsy would not be performed on the two toddlers who passed away.
{Matzav.com}
Drivers across New York City racked up an unprecedented number of summonses last year for blocking off parking spaces with traffic cones, a tactic that has drawn growing enforcement even as many residents say the chronic parking shortage helps explain why the practice persists, the NY Post reports.
According to a New York Post review of municipal records, the Sanitation Department issued 533 violations in 2025 for illegally obstructing streets or sidewalks with cones. That enforcement followed 7,208 separate complaints filed through the city’s 311 system, also the highest total on record.
The number of tickets climbed steadily over recent years. More than 530 summonses were written last year, mostly in Queens, marking an increase of nearly 6% over 2024, when 470 were issued. That figure was almost double the 287 tickets handed out in 2023 and roughly nine times higher than the 60 issued in 2022.
City data show that Queens accounted for more than 70% of all cone-related violations last year, with 380 tickets issued boroughwide. Since 2020, 1,376 summonses have been written citywide for the offense, and roughly 1,000 of them were issued in Queens alone.
Queens Councilwoman Joann Ariola has pointed to weak enforcement combined with shrinking parking availability — including the loss of spaces to bike lanes and restrictive parking regulations — as major factors behind the rise in illegal space-saving.
“It’s been happening for years,” said Alex, a 21-year-old Queens driver, referring to the practice of using cones to hold parking spots.
Despite that, he said he understands why people do it.
“It’s so hard to park around here,” he said, “I understand people using cones to save parking spots.”
Sanitation Department officials told The Post that traffic cones placed on public streets or sidewalks are considered illegal obstructions and can result in administrative summonses, with repeat violations carrying fines of up to $200.
Yet enforcement remains limited. More than 25,000 complaints related to cones have been logged with 311 since 2020, but summonses were issued in just over 5% of those cases, according to the Post’s analysis.
“In order for us to issue a summons for this, the owner of the cones has to acknowledge that the cones are theirs,” a Sanitation Department representative said.
“We do investigate complaints for this by visiting the home and speaking with the homeowner. If they claim ownership of the cones, we will issue a summons for street obstruction. … If they do not claim the cones as their own, we will simply take them away.”
{Matzav.com}
European governments are weighing an aggressive trade response to President Donald Trump’s warnings of sweeping tariffs if an agreement is not reached to transfer Greenland to the United States, but Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent cautioned Tuesday that such a move would be a serious mistake. Speaking in Davos, Bessent said it would be “unwise” for Europe to answer Washington with retaliatory measures.
According to a report by CNBC, France urged the European Union during an emergency meeting in Brussels on Sunday to consider activating the bloc’s so-called Anti-Coercion Instrument, a powerful mechanism described by officials as a trade “bazooka” intended to deter economic pressure from abroad.
The Anti-Coercion Instrument was created to counter what the EU defines as economic coercion—actions designed to force policy changes that could disrupt trade or investment flows.
Possible countermeasures under the instrument could extend beyond tariffs to include steps involving “trade-related aspects of intellectual property rights” and restrictions on public procurement, in addition to actions in financial and trade markets—an array of options European officials have characterized as a nuclear option.
Bessent, attending the World Economic Forum, warned that deploying such tools in response to Trump’s tariff threats would be “very unwise,” adding that “everybody should take the president at his word.”
Rather than retaliating immediately, Bessent said governments and businesses should “let things play out” following Trump’s tariff warnings, according to remarks reported Tuesday by The Guardian.
He pointed to last year’s trade clash between the United States and China, noting that Trump’s “liberation day” tariff announcement initially sent shockwaves through global markets before several companies ultimately reached trade agreements.
By late 2025, markets had rebounded to record levels, a recovery driven in part by rapid growth in artificial intelligence.
“The worst thing countries can do is escalate against the United States,” Bessent said.
Within Europe, there is no unified stance on using the Anti-Coercion Instrument. Germany, whose economy relies heavily on exports, is among the countries opposed to triggering it, according to Carsten Nickel, deputy director of research at Teneo, who spoke to CNBC.
Industries seen as most vulnerable to Trump’s proposed tariffs include automakers such as BMW in Germany and Stellantis in Milan, along with major pharmaceutical companies including Novo Nordisk and Roche in Switzerland.
Despite internal divisions, Germany and France on Monday urged the EU to deliver a “clear” response to Trump’s threats, The Financial Times reported.
“We will not be blackmailed,” German Finance Minister Lars Klingbeil said.
Three EU officials familiar with the discussions said European Commission staff have drafted retaliation scenarios but are refraining from deploying the Anti-Coercion Instrument for now, hoping diplomacy during this week’s meetings with Trump in Davos will yield progress.
“Our number one priority now is to really engage and cooperate and have a good dialogue with U.S. counterparts,” European Commission Vice President Henna Virkkunen told the Financial Times.
“At the same time, we have also tools at our disposal here. We have prepared also for that,” Virkkunen said.
Virkkunen added that the Anti-Coercion Instrument could also be used to restrict American technology companies’ access to the EU’s internal market, emphasizing that Europe represents the largest market for several major tech firms.
European leaders are also seeking to convince Trump that they are prepared to shoulder more responsibility for Arctic security, pointing to proposals by Denmark and Greenland for a NATO mission on the island similar to existing efforts to protect critical infrastructure in the Baltic Sea from Russian and Chinese threats.
U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer said he would deploy the “full strength of government at home and abroad” to uphold international law, describing Trump’s tariff threats as “completely wrong.”
Financial markets have reacted sharply to the escalating rhetoric. Futures linked to the Dow Jones Industrial Average were expected to open Tuesday down 378 points.
European equities fell broadly on Monday, while investors sought safety in gold and silver, which climbed to new highs just days after surpassing previous records.
The exchange of threats has unfolded alongside heightened security activity in the Arctic. Denmark confirmed Monday that it had dispatched additional troops to Greenland, as Trump again declined to rule out the use of military force to assert control over the island.
Danish officials said a “substantial contribution” of soldiers, along with the head of the country’s army, had been sent to Greenland, including deployments to the capital, Nuuk, and to Kangerlussuaq.
{Matzav.com}
President Donald Trump said he chose to make private messages public from French President Emmanuel Macron and NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte because they underscored his argument, while also disclosing that he spent Monday intervening to stop a prison break in Syria involving European terrorists.
The messages, which Trump shared on Truth Social, included warm praise from Macron and Rutte for actions Trump took in Syria, along with appeals for engagement over his push to bring Greenland under U.S. control. The posts appeared just hours before global leaders convene for the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland.
“It just made my point. They’re saying, ‘Oh gee, let’s have dinner, let’s do this, let’s do that.’ It just made my point,” Trump told The NY Post, referring to the private outreach that followed his warning of 10% tariffs, set to take effect February 1, against eight European countries opposing his Greenland initiative.
Trump said the compliments from Macron and Rutte stemmed from efforts he took behind the scenes in Syria. “I did a great job. You know what I did? I stopped a prison break,” he said.
“Oh, we did a good job with Syria. They had a prison break. European prisoners were breaking and I got it stopped. That was yesterday,” Trump added.
“European terrorists were in prison. They had a prison break. And working with the government of Syria and the new leader of Syria, they captured all the prisoners, put them back to jail, and these were the worst terrorists in the world, all from Europe.”
The attempted breakout took place at Al-Shaddadi prison in Syria’s northeastern Hasakah province amid clashes as forces loyal to Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa moved against the Syrian Democratic Forces, a Kurdish-led group that had long been backed by the U.S. and had guarded the detained extremists for years.
The confrontation concluded Sunday with the Kurdish faction agreeing to give up its regional autonomy and cede control of detention sites holding roughly 8,000 Islamic State fighters. Syria’s Interior Ministry said Monday that 81 of the 120 ISIS prisoners who escaped had been recaptured, according to Al Jazeera.
Trump’s decision to publicize the messages offered a rare glimpse into private diplomatic channels as he ramped up pressure on European allies to compel Denmark to relinquish control of Greenland, the world’s largest island.
In his message, Emmanuel Macron wrote: “My friend, We are totally in line on Syria[.] We can do great things on Iran[.] I do not understand what you are doing on Greenland[.] Let us try to build great things: 1) i [sic] can set up a g7 meeting after Davos in Paris on thursday afternoon. I can invite the ukrainians, the danish, the syrians and the russians in the margins 2) let us have a dinner together in Paris together on thursday before you go back to the us.”
Mark Rutte wrote: “Mr. President, dear Donald — what you accomplished in Syria today is incredible. I will use my media engagements in Davos to highlight your work there, in Gaza, and in Ukraine. I am committed to finding a way forward on Greenland. Can’t wait to see you.”
{Matzav.com}
