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United Torah Judaism MK Moshe Gafni said Sunday night that the demonstrations demanding the drafting of chareidim are not genuinely about bringing yeshiva bochurim into the IDF, but are instead part of a broader effort to bring down the current government.

Speaking in an interview on Kan Reshet Bet radio, Gafni dismissed the protesters’ stated goals. “They don’t actually want to take those who study Torah into the army – they just protest about everything,” he said.

He went on to argue that the draft issue is being used as a political weapon. “The Draft Law is a kind of mantra, a tool that can be used to bring down the government.” Gafni noted that the protests began even before the outbreak of the war and described a pattern in which demonstrators cycle through issues based on what gains traction. “What doesn’t succeed drops off the agenda, and what does succeed stays on the agenda,” he said, adding that he doubts the protests would stop even if yeshiva students were drafted in line with the demonstrators’ demands.

Gafni avoided laying out a definitive stance on the specific provisions of the draft law, proposed enlistment targets, or the parameters of Toraso Umnaso (“Torah as one’s profession”).

Still, he pointed to past hadracha from the gedolei Torah. “At the time, the leading gedolim said that anyone who is not studying Torah must not receive the Toraso Umnaso exemption. When the vote on the law comes, I – like my colleagues – will ask the gedolim, and if they instruct me to vote in favor, I will vote in favor.”

Addressing the possibility of rejoining the coalition, Gafni, who previously chaired the Knesset Finance Committee, said the decision would be a personal one. “If there comes a point where I feel I can be part of this coalition, I’ll return. If not, I won’t return.”

He stressed that he deliberately steers clear of public discussion about the draft in order “not to play into the hands of those who put it on the agenda in order to bring down the government.”

According to Gafni, the stability of the coalition ultimately rests with Prime Minister Bibi Netanyahu. “If Netanyahu truly addresses the existing problems and acts with full force, I assume the government will complete its term. If he doesn’t go into it with full force – and he knows how to work when he wants to – then it won’t complete its term.”

{Matzav.com}

Punxsutawney Phil predicted six more weeks of wintry weather Monday, a forecast sure to disappoint many after what’s already been a long, cold season across large parts of the United States. His annual prediction and announcement that he had seen his shadow was translated by his handlers in the Punxsutawney Groundhog Club at Gobbler’s Knob in western […]

A mechanical problem on an El Al flight from New York to Israel caused hours-long delays late Motzoei Shabbos, leaving the Sanzer Rebbe and his small entourage stranded at John F. Kennedy International Airport and forcing the cancellation of a planned reception in Netanya.

El Al Flight LY14, which was scheduled to depart JFK at 1:50 a.m. after Shabbos, was pushed back to approximately 6:40 a.m. due to the malfunction.

According to information obtained by Matzav.com, the aircraft was deemed unfit to fly, and passengers were told they would have to wait for another plane to land and be prepared before continuing on to Israel.

Among those affected was the Sanzer Rebbe, who was set to return to Israel following a multiweek visit to the United States that included extensive engagements with Sanz chassidim.

In Eretz Yisroel, a large public welcome had been planned for the Rebbe in Kiryat Sanz, Netanya, but organizers announced that the event has been canceled for the time being.

{Matzav.com}

More than 13,000 people from across Israel and from every segment of the chareidi public filled the Yerushalayim Arena last Wednesday for the first-ever chareidi construction and building expo, an event that quickly became a major talking point throughout the community.

Hundreds of business owners and executives from leading construction and building-related companies set up booths at the expo, which showcased the growing scope and professionalism of chareidi involvement in the building industry and marked what many described as a turning point for the sector.

The event drew not only tradesmen and entrepreneurs, but also senior public officials, mayors, philanthropists, and Knesset members. Several lawmakers left the Knesset in the middle of a stormy day of budget votes to attend, signaling support for chareidi craftsmen and business owners who support their families through hard work and personal effort.

Deputy Communications Minister Yisroel Eichler used the gathering to deliver a pointed message about chareidi economic self-sufficiency. Standing at the center of the expo in the upscale Porcellano ceramics booth, he told interviewer Ze’evi Breuer of the Xpoint strategy team: “They portrayed chareidim as people who don’t work and don’t pay taxes. That was never true, but now everyone sees it clearly — chareidim build, chareidim pay taxes, chareidim support one another and don’t need favors from anyone. We are economically independent, and when we are economically independent, no one can tell us how to educate our children.” MK Yitzchak Pindrus, who entered the Knesset in Eichler’s place, also arrived at the booth during the interview.

MK Yitzchak Goldknopf toured the expo at the head of an entourage and received a detailed briefing from Rabbi Nachum Frank, chairman of the Parnassah organization, which operates under the leadership of the Broder Rebbe. The Parnassah booth became a central hub connecting business activity with communal needs. One of the most talked-about attractions at the expo was a rotating “roulette” display, designed by strategist Yeshaya Sirota, which drew large crowds and conveyed the organization’s message in an engaging and accessible way, enabling staff to hold professional discussions with hundreds of visitors and employers.

MK Meir Porush arrived at the arena early, even before the dramatic developments in the Knesset unfolded. He conducted a brief tour and stopped at the Everest booth, a company specializing in modular structures and light construction, where he received an overview of the chareidi construction world.

Several chareidi mayors made a special trip to Yerushalayim to attend what many described as a historic event. Beit Shemesh Mayor Shmuel Greenberg insisted on coming despite a packed personal schedule that included his son’s wedding, his aide’s wedding, and sheva brachos. He stopped at the booth of metal artist Yoni Shmuel, where a caravan clad in Jerusalem stone was displayed, and called for promoting stone cladding for caravans in Beit Shemesh to improve the city’s public appearance.

While disagreements over the state budget dominated the Knesset, the mayors of Bnei Brak and Modi’in Illit, Chanoch Zeibert and Yaakov Gutterman, demonstrated unity by posing together for a photo at the booth of Do It, a company providing financing and credit solutions for developers and major contractors.

Representatives of chassidic communities and municipal officials were also present. Vizhnitz representative and Bnei Brak deputy mayor Shiki Mendel tried his luck at an interactive game at the Avigdor Lighting booth, while Beitar Illit deputy mayor and head of the chassidic faction Gedalyahu Eisenstein took part in an hourly raffle at the Decorativ curtains and décor booth.

The success of the expo was attributed to writer Rafael Wahl, Yisrael Levinger, and Chaim Friedman. Strategic consulting for the leading booths was provided by the Xpoint team led by Ze’evi Breuer, along with Moshe Siroka of Tovi Siroka Branding. The event was led and executed by the Malachtam organization, headed by Rabbi Yechezkel Klein and Rabbi Yitzchak Pinchas Twersky. Production was handled by Motti Bokchin, with printing by Moshe Heller of Graf100.

According to organizers, more than 13,000 people passed through the expo during the day. Rafael Wahl, chairman of the Zeh MiZeh initiative, said that construction is the primary area where chareidi money is spent, noting that the chareidi public invests billions of shekels each year in purchasing homes. He said there is no reason that this money should flow to suppliers and professionals outside the chareidi community, adding that the expo marked a historic milestone by proving that, with siyata diShmaya, a strong, independent, and thriving chareidi economy can be built.

As part of what was described as a day of unity for the chareidi construction world, leading chareidi developers offered free consultation meetings to hundreds of participants who scheduled sessions in advance. Malachtam’s leadership issued a statement thanking the senior developers and professionals who volunteered their time to provide personal guidance at no cost, with the goal of strengthening chareidi-owned construction businesses.

One of the highlights of the expo was a packed inaugural panel featuring major philanthropists in the Torah world and founders of Malachtam, including Reb Reuven Wolf, chairman of the Olam HaTorah Fund, Rabbi Aharon Margolies, Rabbi Yechezkel Klein, entrepreneur Shlomo Bruner, and businessman Motti Ben Moshe. Moderated by Rafael Wahl, the panel drew thousands and focused on the Malachtam initiative, the vision of building a flourishing chareidi economy grounded in Torah values, and the public responsibility to support Torah learning and those who devote their lives to it amid the challenges currently facing the chareidi world.

The level of enthusiasm was underscored by the fact that immediately after the expo concluded, dozens of exhibitors approached organizers to reserve booths already for the next chareidi construction expo, scheduled for the year 5787.

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Police on Monday morning detained a mayor of a city in southern Israel for allegedly stealing millions of shekels in wartime donations intended for residents of the city during the war in Gaza and the war with Iran in June 2025. The police also detained several of the mayor’s aides, municipal department heads, and local […]

US President Donald Trump’s senior envoy Steve Witkoff is expected to arrive in Israel tomorrow for meetings with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir, according to senior Israeli officials. Zamir was in Washington over the weekend for talks with U.S. defense officials focused on Iran. Meanwhile, Iran’s semi-official […]

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Conservative populist Laura Fernández won Costa Rica’s presidency, promising to continue the aggressive reorienting of the Central American nation’s politics started by her political sponsor, outgoing President Rodrigo Chaves. Preliminary and partial results showed the Costa Rican president’s handpicked successor captured the win with a resounding first-round victory, eliminating the need for a runoff in […]

Haaretz has agreed to pay 8,000 shekels in compensation to a young shepherd from the Shomron after publishing his photograph in an article with criminal implications without the consent of his parents, Arutz Sheva reported. The payment is part of a settlement reached between the parties following a legal demand submitted by Attorney Chaim Bleicher […]

Senator Lindsey Graham said Sunday that lasting stability in the Middle East will not come through negotiations with Tehran, arguing instead that the collapse of Iran’s ruling system is the only path to real peace.

Appearing on Fox News, the South Carolina Republican said the current moment presents a rare opportunity. “The biggest thing you could possibly do to the Middle East is take this regime down, and they’re as weak as they’ve ever been since 1979,” Graham said.

He directly appealed to President Donald Trump to act, adding, “Mr. President, you can do it, I hope you will do it.”

True peace for the Middle East begins when the Iranian regime falls. pic.twitter.com/JFz2yRMKOj

— Lindsey Graham (@LindseyGrahamSC) February 1, 2026

Graham’s remarks come as Trump continues to press Iran to reach an agreement with the United States over its nuclear ambitions, while repeatedly making clear that military action remains an option if talks fail.

On Sunday, Trump addressed comments from Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who had warned that if the United States initiates conflict, “they start a war, this time it will be a regional war.”

Speaking to reporters, Trump pointed to American naval strength in the area. “We have the biggest, most powerful ships in the world over there… hopefully, we’ll make a deal. If we don’t make a deal, then we’ll find out whether or not he was right,” he said.

A day earlier, Trump said Iran is “seriously talking” with U.S. officials and expressed hope that any agreement would require Tehran to abandon its nuclear weapons program.

While traveling aboard Air Force One, the president was asked again about the situation and emphasized that the U.S. has moved major military forces into the region.

“I hope they negotiate something that’s acceptable,” Trump told reporters.

On Friday, Trump suggested that Iran may be facing a firm choice between diplomacy and consequences, hinting at an ultimatum.

When asked whether Iran had been given a deadline before possible military action, Trump responded, “Only they know for sure.”

Pressed on whether that message had been delivered directly, he replied, “Yeah, I have.”

Trump also underscored the human cost of the ongoing tensions, saying, “We’ll see how it all works out, it’s a rough situation… a lot of people are being killed. I can say this, Iran wants to make a deal.”

He again highlighted U.S. military strength, adding, “We have a tremendously powerful fleet there. We have the most powerful ships in the world.”

Separately on Sunday, Axios reported that the Trump administration has sent messages to Tehran through multiple intermediaries indicating a willingness to meet and negotiate.

The report cited regional sources who said Turkey, Egypt, and Qatar are working behind the scenes to set up a meeting in Ankara later this week between White House envoy Steve Witkoff and senior Iranian officials.

{Matzav.com}

Candace Owens sparked a wave of reactions on social media after expressing confusion about why ice coating the trees around her home was not melting, despite temperatures hovering at 30 degrees Fahrenheit.

Writing on X after what she described as an internet outage, Owens said the icy conditions seemed unusual based on her past experience. “Back online after internet blackout. I grew up in Connecticut and have truly never seen an ice like this ever. The temperature is 30 degrees but the ice on our trees tops is not melting at all,” she wrote. “Never seen anything like this. Anybody else?”

She followed up by describing the ice as unusually stubborn and destructive. “I will take a video to show you guys what I mean but it’s almost like dry ice. And it’s taking out an absurd amount of trees. Again — 30 degrees and none of the ice is dripping from the trees.”

The explanation, however, is straightforward: ice remains frozen until temperatures reach its melting point of 32 degrees Fahrenheit.

Several users on X were quick to point this out, with some responding harshly.

“Maybe today Candace will learn that ice melts at 32 degrees, unless that was another Jewish lie too,” one commenter wrote.

“Are you stupid?” another user asked.

“LOL — you do realize 30 degrees is literally below freezing right!? Which is 32f,” another person replied. “I’m Canadian and run in Celsius and this is grade 2 level scientific fact.”

Owens later replied to a user who mentioned the freezing point, saying her original post lacked clarity.

“On my deck it’s always about 10 degrees warmer than the temperature because of the sun,” she wrote. “Will drop a video because we have a temperature gauge on the deck. Standby.”

{Matzav.com}

House Speaker Mike Johnson faces tough days ahead trying to muscle a federal funding package to passage and prevent a prolonged partial government shutdown as debate intensifies over the Trump administration’s sweeping immigration enforcement operations. Johnson signaled he is relying on help from President Donald Trump to ensure passage. Trump struck a deal with senators to separate funding for the Department of Homeland […]

LISTEN:

https://matzav.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/Bitachon4Life-Shiur-1696-Chikuy-Part-96-Mivtach.mp3

​​For more info, email bitachon4life@gmail.com.

 

A group of thugs vandalized a Chabad elementary school in Paris, the public prosecutor’s office said on Sunday. “On Saturday night, several individuals carried out acts of vandalism at the Lubavitch Jewish elementary school, Beit Chana, located in the city’s 20th arrondissement,” the statement said. “Three windows at the school were smashed, and a CCTV […]

Opposition leader Yair Lapid held a small, closed-door meeting in December 2025 with senior Qatari representatives in Paris, without the presence of the families of hostages—contrary to the version he later presented publicly, Kan News revealed on Monday morning. According to the report, the first meeting took place at the Four Seasons Hotel in Paris […]

LISTEN:

https://matzav.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/Tefila4Life-Shiur-1047-Praise-Shiru-Lashem.mp3

A decades-old home movie that vanished from public view nearly half a century ago could resurface and dramatically reshape the long-running debate over President John F. Kennedy’s assassination, potentially lending support to claims that a second gunman was involved.

The grainy 8mm film was shot by Dallas air-conditioning repairman Orville Nix on Nov. 22, 1963, as shots rang out in Dealey Plaza. The footage has not been seen since 1978, when it was sent to a Los Angeles company for technical analysis and later came under federal control — even though federal officials now maintain that the government no longer possesses it.

Nix passed away in 1972, but his granddaughter continued a legal fight inherited from her late father to reclaim the film. She argues that the footage could be worth more than $900 million, believing it may hold crucial evidence related to what she sees as one of the most consequential coverups in American history.

That effort took a major step forward after a federal judge ruled that the dispute over ownership and custody of the film may proceed, opening the door for the footage to potentially be made public for the first time in decades.

Unlike the widely known Zapruder film, which captured the fatal head shot, Nix’s camera was aimed directly toward the grassy knoll — the area many eyewitnesses believed gunfire originated from. For years, critics of the lone-shooter theory have argued that a second assassin may have been positioned behind a fence on that rise.

Nix’s footage shows first lady Jackie Kennedy climbing onto the back of the presidential limousine moments after her husband was struck, along with a view of the fence atop the knoll. Supporters of further analysis believe advances in optics and artificial intelligence could now extract details previously impossible to detect, potentially challenging the conclusion that Lee Harvey Oswald acted alone.

“It’s really the only one that is known to have captured the grassy knoll area of Dealey Plaza right as the assassination occurs,” said Scott Watnick, an attorney representing Nix’s granddaughter, Gail Nix Jackson. He noted that the footage could reinforce a 1978 House Select Committee on Assassinations finding that Kennedy “was probably assassinated as a result of a conspiracy.” That congressional panel had obtained the Nix film during its investigation and played a role in the complicated legal history surrounding it.

“If we subjected the camera-original film to optics technology of 2026, we can certainly capture details in the film that we never could have captured when . . . the committee had the film in 1978,” Watnick said.

The FBI later disputed aspects of the House committee’s findings, publishing a 1980 analysis that challenged the acoustic evidence used to suggest a second shooter.

Over the past six decades, custody of the Nix film has shifted among multiple entities, including the FBI, United Press International, Congress, and a private Los Angeles firm, Aerospace Corp., which analyzed the footage and said it returned it to the National Archives. In 1988, the National Archives stated that it held only a copy, not the original. A Jan. 15 order by Court of Federal Claims Judge Stephen Schwartz now allows attorneys to pursue discovery aimed at clarifying what happened to the film and who controlled it.

The family’s legal argument relies on the Fifth Amendment, which bars the government from taking private property without providing “just compensation.”

At the same time, the 1992 JFK Records Act granted the government authority over assassination-related materials while establishing a framework for public disclosure.

The family’s valuation, however, could face skepticism. In 1999, an arbitration panel assessed the value of the more famous Zapruder film at $16 million, describing it as “a unique historical item of unprecedented worth.”

Attorneys for Nix Jackson say that valuation provides a baseline for what the Nix film may have been worth decades ago, but they argue that the government’s prolonged possession warrants substantial additional compensation.

“If one were to say this film is worth what that one is worth as of ’92, and you apply 32 years of compound interest at a quarterly compound basis, you start to get numbers in the many many hundred of millions,” Watnick said. One “preliminary estimate” reached by his team was $930 million.

The lawsuit, however, is not solely about money. Nix’s son, Orville Nix Jr., died in July, delaying parts of the case. His granddaughter’s legal team says the proceedings could force new disclosures about how the government has handled assassination-related materials, including fragments of Kennedy’s brain and recordings of internal communications among Dallas police on the day of the shooting.

“This is evidence of a murder, after all, of our nation’s president,” Watnick said. “So it’s even more important that we know where these records are.” The attorneys say they are unwilling to accept official assurances at face value, citing several key items they claim have become “unlocated” over the years, including the original supplementary autopsy report, as many as three autopsy photographs, and Kennedy’s brain.

The National Archives and Records Administration did not respond to a request for comment.

The 1964 Warren Commission concluded that Oswald acted alone in firing from the Texas School Book Depository as Kennedy’s motorcade passed below, but its findings have been questioned by critics for decades, keeping the assassination at the center of one of the most enduring controversies in American history.

{Matzav.com}

The Department of Transportation warned Thursday that a prolonged partial government shutdown would result in the furlough of more than 10,000 Federal Aviation Administration employees, while thousands of air traffic controllers would be required to remain on the job without pay.

According to the shutdown contingency plan released by the department, 13,835 air traffic controllers would be deemed essential and ordered to continue working during the funding lapse. The prospect has raised alarms about added stress on an already strained aviation system as the shutdown stretches on.

The funding impasse is expected to last until at least Tuesday, as House Democrats have not yet agreed to supply the votes necessary to expedite passage of a spending package that would reopen the government.

In a notice posted on its website, the Department of Transportation acknowledged the operational impact of the funding gap, stating, “Portions of DOT are affected by a lapse in appropriations.” The agency warned that “Website information may be outdated, transactions may be delayed, and inquiries may not be answered until funding is restored.”

The aviation industry has experienced significant disruption during past shutdowns. During last year’s extended funding lapse, the system saw widespread fallout, including more than 4,500 flight cancellations over a single weekend in mid-November and scaled-back operations at dozens of airports across the country.

Concerns about aviation safety have also remained elevated over the past year following several serious incidents, including a deadly collision in January 2025 between an Army helicopter and an American Airlines flight.

President Donald Trump weighed in on the situation, urging lawmakers to act swiftly to bring the shutdown to an end. “So hopefully enough people will use their heads,” Trump said, warning that a prolonged lapse in government funding would be “not a good thing for the country.”

{Matzav.com}

The Trump administration has conveyed to Iran through several indirect channels that it is willing to hold talks aimed at reaching an agreement, according to a senior U.S. official cited by Axios.

The outreach comes at a moment of heightened tension, as President Trump has ordered a substantial American military buildup in the Persian Gulf. That show of force has raised the stakes, amplifying concerns over whether diplomacy can still prevent a U.S. strike on Iran and stop the situation from spiraling into a broader regional conflict.

At the same time, Turkey, Egypt, and Qatar are working behind the scenes to arrange a meeting later this week in Ankara between White House envoy Steve Witkoff and senior Iranian officials, according to two regional sources familiar with the effort. One official involved in the mediation said the process is advancing, telling Axios, “It is moving. We are doing our best.” A second U.S. official separately confirmed that a meeting between American and Iranian representatives could indeed take place this week in Turkey.

The three countries pushing the talks are the same ones that previously coordinated with the Trump administration on the Gaza ceasefire, and they now see U.S.–Iran negotiations as a way to prevent a wider regional war. White House officials stress that President Trump has not made a final decision on whether to strike Iran and continues to leave the door open to a diplomatic solution. U.S. officials also say that Trump’s recent public comments about negotiations are not a bluff, though they acknowledge there is still uncertainty over whether Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei will authorize his diplomats to agree to terms that Washington would accept.

According to sources, Qatar, Egypt, and Turkey have been in contact with both Washington and Tehran, coordinating their efforts and attempting to build momentum toward direct engagement. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said Sunday in an interview with CNN that “friendly countries” are working to build confidence between Iran and the United States, describing those efforts as “fruitful.” He added, “I see the possibility of another talk if the U.S. negotiations team follows what President Trump said: to come to a fair and equitable deal to ensure there are no nuclear weapons.”

Over the weekend, Qatari Prime Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani traveled to Tehran, where he met with Ali Larijani, the secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council and a close confidant of Khamenei. Shortly after that meeting, Larijani wrote on X that a “formation of a framework for negotiations is progressing.” Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi also became directly involved, speaking by phone on Saturday with Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian and urging him to agree to a meeting with Trump administration officials. A day earlier, Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan hosted Iran’s foreign minister and discussed possible venues and agenda items for a potential meeting with White House representatives.

President Trump addressed the issue publicly on Saturday night while speaking to reporters aboard Air Force One, expressing cautious optimism that talks could yield an acceptable outcome. “I hope they negotiate something that is acceptable. … They can negotiate a deal that would be satisfactory, no nuclear weapons. etc. They should do that. I don’t know that they will. But they are talking to us. Seriously talking to us,” Trump said.

In contrast, Iran’s supreme leader struck a confrontational tone the following day. Speaking in Tehran on Sunday, Khamenei accused the United States of seeking to dominate Iran and seize its natural resources, claiming Washington wants to “devour” the country and take over its oil, gas, and minerals. “The Americans should know if they start a war, this time it will be a regional war,” he warned, making no reference to negotiations.

When asked later about Khamenei’s remarks, Trump pointed to the American military presence already deployed in the region. He said the United States has “the biggest, most powerful ships in the world over there,” and added, “Hopefully we’ll make a deal. If we don’t make a deal, then we’ll find out whether or not he was right.”

As diplomatic maneuvering continues, military coordination between allies is also underway. IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir traveled to Washington on Friday and Saturday for meetings with Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Dan Caine, where the two discussed the possibility of a U.S. strike against Iran. U.S. and Israeli officials said the low-profile visit focused on briefing one another on defensive measures and potential offensive plans should a war with Iran break out.

{Matzav.com}