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A new series of arrests targeting bnei Torah has raised concerns that another wave of mass chareidi protests could be imminent. On Sunday, two Gerer chassidim and one Erlauer chassid were arrested and sentenced to military prison after attempting to resolve their draft status with Israeli authorities.

One of those arrested was a young Gerer chassid and talmid of Yeshivas Chiddushei Harim, who was detained after reporting to the military induction office in an effort to “regularize his status.” He was sentenced to 20 days in military prison.

Also arrested on Sunday was a Gerer avreich from Ashdod. He, too, was sentenced to 20 days in Prison 10 and, according to reports, was being transported there shortly after his sentencing.

In a separate incident, a young Erlauer chassid, a talmid of Yeshivas Chayei Torah, was arrested after reporting to the induction office in Be’er Sheva in an attempt to regularize his status. He was likewise transferred to Prison 10.

The arrests come roughly one month after Gur held its largest protest yet against the arrest of bnei yeshivah. Tens of thousands of chassidim participated in the demonstration following the detention of a yeshivah bochur from Ashdod who had been declared a draft evader. In an exceptionally rare move, the Gerrer Rebbe personally attended the mass rally.

In addition, approximately two weeks ago, thousands of vehicles took part in a nationwide protest convoy that departed from multiple locations across Eretz Yisroel, including Yerushalayim. The demonstration, titled “Enough Is Enough!,” featured a slow-moving procession toward military detention facilities but stopped short of physically blocking access to Prison 10.

{Matzav.com}

Health officials are investigating a growing outbreak of a rare foodborne parasite that has already sickened hundreds of people across the United States, with experts still unable to identify a single source. As the number of infections continues to climb, many Americans are wondering whether the fresh fruits and vegetables in their kitchens are safe to eat.

Since May, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has confirmed at least 145 cases of cyclosporiasis nationwide. The true number, however, appears to be significantly higher. Michigan alone had reported more than 1,000 infections as of July 9.

The illness is caused by Cyclospora cayetanensis, a parasite that is relatively uncommon in the United States. It spreads through food or water contaminated with human waste. According to Wisconsin health officials, some infected individuals may have contracted the parasite while traveling to countries where it is more widespread. CDC figures show that at least 45 patients became sick after eating food or drinking water outside the United States.

Within the U.S., however, infections are more commonly linked to contaminated fresh produce. Previous outbreaks have been associated with foods such as romaine lettuce, basil, cilantro, snow peas, and raspberries. Although investigators are still searching for the cause of the recent cases, the CDC says “there is currently no evidence of a single, multistate … outbreak.”

With the source still unknown, many people are understandably concerned about becoming infected, particularly because the illness can produce unpleasant and prolonged symptoms.

Not everyone exposed to the parasite becomes sick. For those who do develop symptoms, the CDC and Cleveland Clinic say the hallmark sign is frequent watery diarrhea that can be severe and “sometimes explosive.”

Patients may also experience loss of appetite, nausea, vomiting, stomach pain, “bloating, including burping and farting,” a mild fever, and significant fatigue. Symptoms generally begin anywhere from two days to two weeks after exposure.

Anyone experiencing these symptoms is urged to seek medical attention. Doctors can confirm the infection through specialized stool testing.

Dr. Katie Theoktisto of Baylor Scott & White told Nexstar’s KXAN that in some patients the illness will “self-resolve after a few days.”

She cautioned, however, that persistent diarrhea should not be ignored. “If you’re having a diarrheal illness that’s lasting over a week or two, it’s probably something unusual,” she warned, saying that “those with prolonged symptoms should seek care from their health care providers.”

According to Theoktisto, young children, pregnant women, older adults, and individuals with weakened immune systems face a greater risk of serious illness. These patients may also experience symptoms that return after initially improving.

She noted that several treatments are available. The Cleveland Clinic says therapy may include antibiotics, anti-diarrheal medications, and maintaining proper hydration. Patients who cannot take sulfa-based medications because of allergies can be treated with alternative drugs.

The CDC says that while healthy individuals may recover without medical treatment, others can remain “sick for anywhere from a few days to a month or longer.” Symptoms may disappear and then return, placing some patients at risk for “severe or long illness.” Without treatment, the infection can persist for a month or even longer.

One encouraging fact is that Cyclospora is not believed to spread directly from one person to another.

To reduce the risk of infection, health officials advise thoroughly washing all fruits and vegetables before eating, preparing, or cooking them.

Experts also recommend refrigerating peeled, cut, or cooked produce promptly and trimming away any bruised or damaged portions of fruits and vegetables before consuming them.

{Matzav.com}

Tensions between Washington and Tehran escalated sharply on Sunday after Iran’s parliamentary speaker warned the United States to honor the terms of a temporary peace agreement or face serious consequences, as fresh American airstrikes targeted Iranian positions following the closure of the Strait of Hormuz.

Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf issued the warning in a social media post, declaring that the United States could no longer expect Tehran to accept unequal arrangements. “The era of one-sided deals is OVER,” Qalibaf wrote on social media. “We told you: keep your word or pay the price. Reality is knocking.”

Along with his statement, Qalibaf published one of the 14 provisions contained in the memorandum of understanding between the two countries. The clause stated: “Upon the signing of this MOU, the Islamic Republic of Iran will make arrangements using its best efforts for the safe passage of commercial vessels with no charge for 60 days only, from the Persian Gulf to the Sea of Oman and vice versa.”

The latest American military action marked the third wave of U.S. airstrikes against Iranian targets after the Islamic regime announced it was shutting down the Strait of Hormuz indefinitely. The strategic waterway carries roughly one-fifth of the world’s oil and natural gas shipments. Iran closed the passage after its Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) attacked the Cyprus-flagged cargo vessel GFS Galaxy, accusing the ship of traveling along an “unauthorized route.”

The IRGC later declared through Iranian state media that the critical shipping lane would remain closed “until the U.S. ends its intervention in the region.”

According to U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM), the strike on the commercial vessel caused extensive damage to its engine room, and one crew member remains unaccounted for. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth reacted to CENTCOM’s announcement with a blunt warning on social media, writing: “Iran made a poor choice. Now they pay.”

The renewed military confrontation has further dimmed hopes of reviving negotiations between Washington and Tehran. President Trump said the memorandum intended to serve as a framework for a broader peace agreement is effectively finished after both countries accused each other this week of violating its terms while exchanging military fire.

Expressing his frustration before authorizing the second round of strikes earlier in the week, Trump told reporters, “I don’t want to deal with them anymore. They’re scum.”

The president intensified his warnings on Friday, stating that the United States has contingency plans ready to “decimate and destroy” Iran if Tehran carries out what officials say is an assassination plot targeting him.

Those remarks followed a report by The Wall Street Journal stating that Israeli intelligence had recently provided U.S. officials with new information indicating that Iran was actively considering a plan to assassinate President Trump.

Meanwhile, Iran’s Supreme Leader, Mojtaba Khamenei, issued his own threatening message, vowing revenge for the death of his father, who was laid to rest on Thursday after being killed during the initial U.S. and Israeli strikes against Iran in February.

In a Telegram message reviewed by Reuters, Khamenei declared: “We pledge to avenge the blood of the martyred leader and all the martyrs of these two wars from the criminal and disgraced killers.”

{Matzav.com}

Federal authorities have joined the investigation into the unexpected death of Sen. Lindsey Graham, with FBI Director Kash Patel confirming that the bureau is providing full support to local law enforcement as officials continue to examine the circumstances surrounding the longtime South Carolina senator’s passing.

Patel announced the FBI’s involvement in a statement posted Sunday on X, paying tribute to Graham’s years of public service. “Senator Lindsey Graham was a devoted public servant, a fierce defender of our nation, and a true patriot who dedicated his life to the people of South Carolina and the United States,” Patel wrote.

He also extended condolences to the senator’s family and associates while confirming the bureau’s role in the investigation. “Our prayers are with his family, loved ones, colleagues, and all those who knew him during this devastating time,” he added. “The FBI is assisting local authorities and has made every necessary resource available.”

Graham, 71, died Saturday evening after what his office described as a “brief and sudden illness.” News of his passing was released early Sunday.

In its statement, Graham’s office requested privacy for the family as they mourn. “Senator Graham’s family appreciates prayers at this time and asks for privacy during this incredibly difficult period,” the four-term senator’s office added.

Investigators from the FBI, the U.S. Capitol Police, and the Metropolitan Police Department are all participating in the inquiry as authorities work to determine whether there is any indication of foul play in the senator’s death.

According to police scanner recordings obtained by NBC News, emergency responders were dispatched to Graham’s Capitol Hill residence Saturday night following a report of a person suffering cardiac arrest.

Images obtained by NBC News showed paramedics transporting an individual from Graham’s home on a stretcher to a waiting ambulance, while numerous police vehicles and fire apparatus remained at the scene.

Only a day before his death, Graham had returned to Washington after traveling to Ukraine during the Senate’s recess. While overseas, he met Friday with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.

A longtime advocate of strong American support for Ukraine, Graham had consistently backed the country’s war effort against Russia. During his visit, he also worked with a bipartisan group of senators and the White House to finalize language for new legislation aimed at imposing additional sanctions on Russia.

President Trump said Sunday that he had spoken with Graham shortly after the senator arrived back in Washington from Ukraine on Saturday evening.

Recalling their final conversation, Trump said Graham appeared somewhat fatigued after the overseas trip but gave no indication that anything was seriously wrong. “He sounded a little tired, but perfect. But a little bit tired, he had a right to be,” Trump told host Kristen Welker on NBC News’s “Meet the Press.”

A new survey has found that nearly one out of every two Israelis favors increasing pressure on bnei yeshivah in an effort to boost enlistment into the IDF, highlighting the widening divide over one of the country’s most contentious issues.

The findings come from the July 2026 Israeli Society Index released by the Jewish People Policy Institute (JPPI). According to the poll, 46% of the overall Israeli public—and 50% of Jewish respondents—believe that bnei yeshivah can ultimately be drafted into military service and that stronger measures should be employed to make that happen.

By comparison, 31% of those surveyed said they prefer pursuing agreements with the chareidi leadership as the best way to encourage enlistment, while just 11% believe there is no practical possibility of drafting chareidim into the IDF and that attempts to do so should simply be abandoned.

The survey underscores the deep political split over how the issue should be handled. Support for imposing sanctions is especially strong among center- and left-wing voters, where 73% and 79%, respectively, back that approach. Among right-wing voters, however, the picture is markedly different, with 59% favoring negotiated understandings with gedolei Yisroel and chareidi leadership rather than punitive measures.

The results also varied sharply based on party affiliation. Three-quarters of Likud supporters said they favor reaching agreements instead of imposing sanctions, while 84% of Yisrael Beiteinu voters support applying tougher penalties. Within the chareidi community itself, 45% believe enlistment could only come through agreements with community leaders, 36% feel there is little or no realistic chance such enlistment will occur, and only 15% support the use of sanctions.

Researchers also asked Israelis about the ongoing chareidi demonstrations protesting the arrests of bnei Torah over the draft issue. Thirty-nine percent of respondents—including a majority of secular Israelis, at 53%—said the protests are unjustified and should not be allowed. On the other hand, 32% argued that if authorities permitted roads to be blocked during demonstrations against the judicial reform, the same standard should apply to chareidi protesters. That view was particularly common among right-wing voters and Likud supporters.

Prof. Yedidia Stern, president of the Jewish People Policy Institute, said the survey suggests that political identity, more than the substance of the issue itself, is driving public opinion on chareidi enlistment. According to Stern, the political right is reluctant to support sanctions because of its alliance with the chareidi parties, while the center and left are generally in favor of increasing pressure. “When the decisive factor is political rather than substantive, a solution appears more distant than ever,” he said.

{Matzav.com}

Just hours after the Knesset’s Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee approved legislation temporarily freezing the arrest of yeshiva bochurim classified as draft evaders, leading Sephardic rabbonim and roshei yeshiva issued a sharply worded public letter condemning the measure, warning that it grants the state sweeping authority over the Torah world and places yeshivos under unprecedented government control.

The legislation, as approved by the committee, would suspend arrests, criminal investigations, and other enforcement measures against bnei Torah eligible for military service for a period of 90 days. However, the protection would not be automatic. Instead, bnei yeshiva and roshei yeshiva would be required to submit affidavits to a special military committee, to be established within a week, and comply with a series of strict conditions.

The rabbonim argued that while the proposal appears to provide temporary relief from arrests, it actually establishes a dangerous framework that allows the government to determine who is truly engaged in Torah study and who is not.

In their letter, the rabbonim wrote that the legislation incorporates “the same destructive oversight mechanisms and the same ‘divide and conquer’ approach” that were contained in the previously proposed draft legislation known as the Bismuth Framework, which had been opposed by senior Torah leaders from every segment of the Torah world in Israel and abroad.

They warned that the law would effectively “bring down the walls of the Torah world” by placing yeshivos and batei medrash under full government control and intensive supervision. According to the letter, the legislation authorizes intrusive surprise inspections of individual bochurim and avreichim, giving government inspectors sole authority to determine each student’s future.

The rabbonim outlined four principal objections to the legislation.

First, they warned that any student found repeatedly absent during inspections—even if he misses only a single hour of the required nine hours of daily study, which are defined by law—would immediately become subject to arrest.

The letter argues that the legislation’s “divide and conquer” approach would make arrests far easier to carry out than under the current system. Rather than confronting an entire united chareidi community, authorities would be able to target individual bochurim and avreichim, forcing them to face the government alone without the protection of broad communal solidarity.

The rabbonim expressed particular concern that Sephardic bnei yeshiva, many of whom live in Israel’s peripheral communities, would become the first targets of enforcement efforts, citing what they described as past experience.

They also objected to provisions requiring roshei yeshiva and roshei kollel to submit ongoing reports identifying students who fail to meet every required hour of study. According to the letter, the law effectively forces roshei yeshiva to become informants while establishing a government committee that will continuously monitor inspection reports and attendance records.

Another concern centers on a provision stating that if repeated absences reach 20 percent of a yeshiva’s student body, the institution could lose its official recognition. Students would then be forced to quickly find another recognized yeshiva willing to accept them in order to avoid becoming subject to arrest.

The rabbonim further warned that the inspection system would fundamentally change the atmosphere inside yeshivos, replacing an environment of spiritual growth with constant pressure, anxiety, and tension between students and their roshei yeshiva. They said school leaders would feel compelled to expel students who fail to meet attendance requirements, undermining the spiritual and emotional conditions necessary for successful Torah study.

The letter stresses that even if the law is eventually struck down or allowed to expire, simply agreeing to such legislation would inflict lasting damage by allowing the state to establish oversight mechanisms that could permanently breach the independence of the Torah world.

The rabbonim also pointed to previous government sanctions as evidence that merely discussing such enforcement measures often leads to their implementation even before legislation formally takes effect. They argued that only firm public opposition and unwavering resistance have succeeded in preventing more severe decrees against the Torah community.

In addition, they noted that the legislation does nothing to eliminate the existing sanctions and penalties already imposed on bnei Torah, leaving those measures fully intact while creating an impression that they have been accepted.

Concluding their letter, the Sephardic Torah leaders issued an emphatic call for opposition to the bill, writing that they cannot believe anyone who identifies as chareidi would support such “destructive legislation.” They declared that it is an absolute obligation to oppose the measure with full force, expressing confidence that the promise that “Torah will never be forgotten from the Jewish people” will endure and that Hashem will continue to protect both His Torah and those who dedicate their lives to its study.

{Matzav.com}