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An emergency session of the United Nations Security Council on Monday focused on Israel’s decision to recognize Somaliland, a move that has drawn international criticism and prompted sharp exchanges at the UN.

Israel’s envoy to the United Nations, Danny Danon, argued ahead of the meeting that the issue had been wrongly elevated. “This is not a question of international security but of double standards. When countries in the UN unilaterally recognize a Palestinian state, the issue is accepted without discussion and without objection. When Israel exercises its sovereign powers and acts in accordance with international law, the Security Council convenes for an urgent session. This illustrates the one-sidedness and hypocrisy of some of the council members.”

Speaking during the session, US Deputy Ambassador to the UN Tammy Bruce forcefully backed Israel’s position. “Israel has the same right to conduct diplomatic relations as any other sovereign state,” she said, according to AFP.

Bruce contrasted the current reaction with earlier decisions by other countries, telling the Council, “Earlier this year, several countries, including members of this Council, made the unilateral decision to recognize a nonexistent Palestinian state. And yet, no emergency meeting was called to express this Council’s outrage.”

She went on to fault what she described as a misplaced focus by the body, stating, “This Council’s persistent double standards and misdirection of focus distract from its mission of maintaining international peace and security.”

Addressing Washington’s own policy, Bruce emphasized that the United States has not altered its stance on the matter. “On the matter of Somaliland, we have no announcement to make regarding US recognition of Somaliland. And there has been no change in American policy.”

The debate followed Israel’s announcement on Friday that it had formally recognized the Republic of Somaliland as an independent and sovereign state. That decision was condemned by the European Union and by a bloc of Arab and Islamic countries, along with the Organization of Islamic Cooperation.

{Matzav.com}

South Korea said it will formally end its dwindling yet much-criticized bear bile farming industry this week, though about 200 bears are still kept in pens and raised for their gallbladders. The Ministry of Climate, Energy and Environment announced Tuesday it will ban breeding and possession of bears and extraction of their bile beginning Jan. 1. The […]

A controversial spring semester course at Princeton University has ignited criticism for asserting a “central focus on the ongoing genocide in Gaza” and proposing comparisons between the experience of Gazans and that of Jews during the Holocaust.

The course has already been denounced by American Jewish Congress, which labeled it “unacceptable” and warned, “At a time of record levels of antisemitism, this course risks fueling further hostility and making campus even more unsafe for Jewish students.”

Enrollment figures published on Princeton’s website show minimal interest so far, with just one of 14 available seats filled. The syllabus references terms such as “reproductive genocide in Gaza” and “reprocide in Gaza,” and indicates that students will study “Gaza within comparative histories of the Armenian genocide, the Holocaust and genocide against black and indigenous populations.”

Concerns over antisemitism at Princeton predate the introduction of the class. In April 2024, during the Biden Administration, the US Department of Education launched a Title VI investigation into allegations at the university following a complaint by a Jewish activist. That filing cited reports that campus pro-Palestinian protesters chanted “Intifada,” and “Brick by brick, wall by wall, apartheid has got to fall,” in the weeks after the October 7 massacre.

More recently, the Trump administration paused $210 million in federal funding to Princeton, asserting that the university “has perpetuated racist and antisemitic policies.”

Reacting to the course description, Rep. Tom Kean told JNS that it was “deeply troubling,” arguing that it “falsely characterizes Israel’s right to self-defense as ‘genocide.’”

“Israel was the victim of a brutal terrorist attack on Oct. 7 at the hands of Hamas, and any honest discussion must begin with that fact,” the New Jersey congressman said. “Hamas is a terrorist organization that deliberately targets civilians and hides behind innocent people to advance its violent agenda. While I support freedom of speech and the offering of different perspectives in the classroom, words matter.”

He continued by warning that “recklessly misusing the term ‘genocide’ does nothing to advance peace, justice, understanding or open dialogue. Israel has both the right and the obligation to defend its people, and that reality should not be erased or rewritten in the classroom.”

In response to the broader scrutiny, Princeton President Christopher Eisgruber said the university is “committed to fighting antisemitism and all forms of discrimination, and we will cooperate with the government in combating antisemitism.”

{Matzav.com}

A senior adviser to Iran’s supreme leader issued a defiant warning Tuesday after President Donald Trump said he would greenlight an Israeli strike on Iran if Tehran moves to rebuild its nuclear or missile programs. Ali Shamkhani, a top adviser to Ali Khamenei, responded on social media hours after Trump’s remarks, declaring that Iran’s military […]

After more than 30 years in circulation, the MetroCard is approaching the end of its run, joining the subway token as a relic of New York transit history. The familiar gold card, once a symbol of modernization, is being phased out as the city completes its move to a contactless fare system.

Beginning Wednesday, riders will no longer be able to purchase or add value to a MetroCard. The transition clears the way for OMNY, the tap-to-pay system that allows fares to be paid with a credit card, phone, or other smart device. According to the Metropolitan Transportation Authority, more than 90 percent of subway and bus trips are already paid through the system, which debuted in 2019.

Cities across the globe adopted similar technology years ago. London and Singapore have relied on contactless transit payments for some time, while U.S. cities including Chicago and San Francisco have followed suit, with San Francisco launching its system earlier this year.

Even as it fades from daily use, the MetroCard is being reexamined as a cultural artifact. At the New York Transit Museum, an exhibit opened this month chronicling the card’s impact. Museum curator Jodi Shapiro says the MetroCard fundamentally changed how New Yorkers thought about getting around the city.

“There was a resistance to change from tokens to something else because tokens work,” Shapiro said during a recent visit to the museum, located in a former subway station. “MetroCards introduced a whole other level of thinking for New Yorkers.”

Before the MetroCard arrived in 1994, riders paid with brass tokens first issued in 1953, or, earlier still, with paper tickets that cost just five cents when the subway opened in 1904. To ease the transition, transit officials launched public campaigns demonstrating the proper swipe technique and even briefly considered a mascot known as the Cardvaark before abandoning the idea.

Over time, the card became a canvas for the city itself. Special editions marked major moments, including the 2000 World Series “Subway Series” between the Mets and Yankees, when a ride cost $1.50. Musicians such as David Bowie and Olivia Rodrigo, hip-hop legends like the Wu-Tang Clan, the Notorious B.I.G., and LL Cool J, and television staples including Seinfeld and Law & Order all appeared on commemorative cards.

Collectors took notice. Lev Radin of the Bronx said the most meaningful designs captured the spirit of the city rather than just its skyline.

“For me, the most special cards are cards which present New York City to the world,” Radin said. “Not only photos of landmarks, skylines, but also about people who live and make New York special.”

Mastering the MetroCard swipe even became a quiet badge of authenticity. During the 2016 presidential campaign, Hillary Clinton struggled through several attempts at a Bronx turnstile. Her Democratic rival at the time, Bernie Sanders, a Brooklyn native, appeared unaware that tokens had already been retired.

Unlike the MetroCard’s debut, the OMNY rollout has been relatively seamless. Riders who prefer not to use personal devices can still buy reloadable OMNY cards, and existing MetroCards will remain valid through 2026 so balances can be used up. The MTA says the shift saves at least $20 million a year in costs tied to the old system.

The new platform also introduces fare capping, allowing unlimited rides within a seven-day period once 12 trips are taken. When fares rise to $3 in January, weekly spending will be capped at $35. Still, some critics have voiced concerns about data collection and surveillance tied to digital payments.

{Matzav.com}

Israel’s President Yitzchak Herzog denied a claim by U.S. President Donald Trump that a pardon for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is “on its way,” pushing back against suggestions of behind-the-scenes coordination between the two leaders. Trump made the assertion publicly, saying Herzog had recently told him that a pardon for Netanyahu was forthcoming. Within hours, […]

Outgoing New York City Mayor Eric Adams said Monday that he remains undecided about attending the swearing-in of his successor, Zohran Mamdani, suggesting that the mayor-elect’s base of supporters is giving him pause. Speaking to reporters at an unrelated City Hall event, Adams said he does not want to distract from Mamdani’s inauguration on Jan. […]

A wild winter storm was expected to bring strong winds, heavy snow and frigid temperatures to the Great Lakes and Northeast on Tuesday, a day after a bomb cyclone barreled across the northern U.S. and left tens of thousands of customers without power. The storm that hit parts of the Plains and Great Lakes on […]

Opposition leader Yair Lapid and Yesh Atid MKs filed an urgent petition to the Supreme Court on Tuesday, seeking to block the transfer of NIS 1.09 billion to Chareidi educational institutions. The petition claims that the allocation, approved by the Knesset Finance Committee, is illegal because it funds schools that “do not prepare Chareidi children […]

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Finance Minister Betzalel Smotrich delivered a frightening warning at a meeting of his Religious Zionist party on Monday about Israel’s enemy within. “After remarkable successes on external war fronts, the biggest threat today comes from within,” he declared. “The images and incidents from the Negev in recent days must trigger every alarm bell, reminding us […]

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By Rabbi Berach Steinfeld In the beginning of  Parshas Vayechi, Yaakov Avinu blessed his grandchildren, Ephraim and Menashe. He told them that Yisroel will bless their children to be like Ephraim and Menashe. The posuk uses the words “on that day” referring to when Yaakov bentched them.      The Targum Yonoson writes that this bracha shall be given to each child on the day he is circumcised.      The Pirush Yonoson explains the specificity of the day of milah as the time of this bracha since the posuk uses the term “on that day.” He adds that the word Yisroel seems to be unnecessary in the posuk since it is obvious that a Yisroel (not a goy) will bentch his child in this way. By using the word Yisroel, the posuk is teaching us that the day the child becomes a Yisroel is the day he receives this bracha.      The Moshav Zekeinim Le’Baalei Tosfos explain that the Sefardim who say the following upon completion of the Bris carry out this tradition. “It should be the will of Hashem that the baby should be “Ach l’Shiva and also l’shmona.” This is saying that the baby should be like Ephraim and Menashe who were numbers seven and eight when the Nesiyim brought the korbanos at the inauguration of the Mishkan.      The question arises; why is it important to give this Bracha on the day of a Bris over any other day?      The first answer is that there is a great ayin hora on the day of the Bris Milah. (We learn that Bilam tried harming Bnei Yisroel when they were in the midbar on the day of the milah.) We therefore bless the child that he should be like Ephraim and Menashe who were from Shevet Yosef, and therefore an ayin hora has no effect on them.       Secondly, we want to give a child the bracha as early as possible since it might be too late once the child is grown up, so we bracha is said as soon as he enters into the covenant of being a Jew.      The last answer is that we know that when a child cries at the bris all tefillos go up to shomayim without any hindrance. That is why we pick that opportune time to give the baby this bracha.      Let us hope that all these tefillos and brachos will be mekuyam.

A stormy discussion took place on Sunday in the Knesset’s Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee regarding the emerging draft law Committee chairman Boaz Bismuth lashed out at representatives of Attorney-General Gali Baharav-Miara after being forced to grant them speaking time, saying, “I’m giving you 15 minutes. This committee will not serve as a platform for […]

TEHILLIM: Hagaon HaRav Reuven Feinstein, rosh yeshiva of Yeshiva of Staten Island, has been hospitalized is in need of a refuah. All are asked to daven for the complete refuah of Shalom Reuven ben Shima.

The venerable gaon Rav Meir Greineman was released Monday afternoon from Sheba Medical Center at Tel Hashomer after successfully undergoing a pacemaker implantation, b’chasdei Shamayim.

As previously reported here on Matzav, Rav Greineman was rushed to the hospital late Friday night after losing consciousness while learning with his grandson. Following the arrival of his eldest son, the decision was made to evacuate him to the hospital, where he was admitted to the cardiac intensive care unit.

Rav Greineman, the last living nephew of the Chazon Ish and known for his lifelong stringency of not eating food prepared outside his home, declined to eat the meals served by the hospital, despite their mehadrin kashrus. It was also learned that he did not allow food to be brought from his home, as he did not want anyone transporting food for him on Shabbos from Bnei Brak to Tel Hashomer, even though an eiruv could have been relied upon.

As a result, from approximately 2:00 a.m. on Friday night until noon on Shabbos day, Rav Greineman consumed only water, despite his advanced age and delicate medical condition. Only at around 12:00 p.m. did a non-Jew arrive with food brought from his home.

Rav Greineman has now returned to his residence in Bnei Brak, where he will continue resting and resume his regular learning schedule.

All are asked to continue davening for the complete recovery of Rav Meir ben Tzivia.

{Matzav.com}

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said in a Fox News interview tonight that while negotiations toward a peace framework with Russia have made significant progress, surrendering Ukrainian territory remains a red line that would derail any agreement.

Zelensky said that roughly “90%” of the proposed framework has already been settled, but stressed that the remaining dispute over land is the most difficult issue still unresolved.

Speaking about the eastern Donbas region, which Russian President Vladimir Putin is seeking to seize, Zelensky warned that withdrawal would carry grave consequences. “All the parties have to understand that the worst way is to go out from the Donbas,” he told Fox News “Special Report” host Bret Baier.

According to Zelensky, any deal brokered with Putin — with President Trump acting as the intermediary — would ultimately require approval by the Ukrainian public through a national vote. He emphasized that moving forward with concessions he knows would be rejected makes no sense. “Of course, referendum — if we will go to referendum — is very important, but if we are not stupid, we can’t go to referendum after signing with President Trump … we can’t go to referendum knowing that the referendum will fail.”

He underscored that point bluntly, adding, “I mean, I think it’s stupid.”

Zelensky said handing the Donbas region to Moscow would be unacceptable to the public and dangerous for the country. “It will be a big risk for Ukraine,” he said of ceding the territory to Putin, calling such a move “not acceptable for Ukrainians.”

Summing up his position, the Ukrainian president argued that any agreement must reflect the will of the nation and lead to a lasting resolution. “We have to find real peace,” he said, “a real way to peace which is acceptable by the Ukrainian nation.”

{Matzav.com}

A Utah judge on Monday ordered the release of a transcript from a closed-door hearing in October over whether the man charged with killing Charlie Kirk must be shackled during court proceedings. State District Judge Tony Graf said the transcript must be posted on the court docket by the end of the day. Attorneys for […]

U.S. forces have now killed at least 106 suspected terrorist-linked drug traffickers in strikes aimed at smuggling vessels operating in the Caribbean Sea and the Eastern Pacific Ocean, according to military figures released this week.

The latest operation is believed to be the first conducted under “Operation Southern Spear” since December 22, and marks the 30th such strike since September 2.

U.S. Southern Command said Monday that another suspected drug-running vessel was destroyed in the Eastern Pacific, resulting in the deaths of two individuals described as “narco-terrorists.”

“On Dec. 29, at the direction of [War Secretary] Pete Hegseth, Joint Task Force Southern Spear conducted a lethal kinetic strike on a vessel operated by Designated Terrorist Organizations in international waters,” Southern Command posted on X.

According to the command, the target had been under surveillance and was moving through a well-known trafficking corridor. “Intelligence confirmed the vessel was transiting along known narco-trafficking routes in the Eastern Pacific and was engaged in narco-trafficking operations,” the post continued. “Two male narco-terrorists were killed. No U.S. military forces were harmed.”

{Matzav.com}