A bold and confidential proposal emerging from the chareidi world aims to rewrite Israel’s security equation. Conceived by Rav Avraham Deutsch, a rav and author of over fifty sefarim, the plan envisions thousands of non-yeshiva chareidim mobilizing to defend Israeli cities and communities—outside of the IDF framework. Endorsed by senior security figures, including retired IDF Brigadier General Yoeli Or, the initiative has been described as “something that could work.”
The revelation comes as tensions between the chareidi community and the Israeli defense establishment reach unprecedented levels, and the Supreme Court presses the government to fully enforce the draft law. For the first time, a comprehensive 33-page document outlines a year-long effort to design a security system run by civilians under rabbinic oversight, named Yechidat Gevulot HaPnim (“Internal Borders Unit””).
A Plan Years in the MakingRav Deutsch, Av Beis Din and mara d’asra of the chareidi community in Maale Adumim, developed the initiative with General Or after observing the growing security vulnerabilities in Jewish cities bordering hostile Arab areas. “I was examining a halachic question about writing ‘Maale Adumim’ as a separate locality in a get,” Rav Deutsch recounts. “While studying army maps, I noticed the city’s alarming proximity to Azariya.”
He soon learned that local commanders lacked organized manpower for emergency defense. “They told me, ‘We don’t have a structured force that can protect us in case of an invasion—only a miracle could save us,’” Rav Deutsch said. Moved by their concern, he approached overseas philanthropists to help fund a volunteer defense network for the Adumim bloc.
An Unlikely PartnershipGeneral (res.) Yoeli Or, former Golani Brigade commander, recalls being introduced to Rav Deutsch by a volunteer from Maale Adumim. “We met—and there was an instant connection,” he said. “It was the first time I heard the term yehareg ve’al yaavor applied to army service. I was shocked. But I came to realize—we all live in the same territory and face the same threats. Everyone must help defend, the only question is how.”
Rav Deutsch explained to him: “Toraso umanuso is no less than military service—it’s a spiritual army. But there are civilians under threat, and the IDF is overstretched. There must be a defensive framework that doesn’t involve uniforms or state authority.”
Speaking With the EstablishmentIn his essay, Rav Deutsch recounts extensive conversations with top military and judicial figures, including a remarkable exchange with former IDF Chief of Staff Gabi Ashkenazi. “Ashkenazi told me that Israel, like much of the West, is moving toward a professional army,” the rav said. “He said explicitly that in such a structure, there would be no need to draft chareidim.”
He also describes an extraordinary dialogue with retired Justice Tzvi Tal, who chaired the committee behind the original Tal Law. “He told me, ‘The chareidi public doesn’t get it. Why not simply go to the Supreme Court and state that military service is against our religion?’” Rav Deutsch recalls. “He said no such argument was ever properly presented, and that no court in the world would reject a genuine religious claim like that.”
The Security ConceptThe “Internal Borders Unit” would focus on internal defense, not external warfare. Rav Deutsch explains: “Israel’s borders are unlike any other country’s—the threats aren’t just beyond the state line but within it. Our cities and towns are the real front lines.” Using Maale Adumim as an example, he describes weak local security networks—few volunteers, poor equipment, and lack of command structure. “Even the State Comptroller’s reports show these gaps,” he notes, citing recent incidents where hundreds of Palestinian workers infiltrated the city unchecked.
The proposed framework envisions 3,000 volunteers in the first phase—not yeshiva students or avreichim, but working chareidi men such as storeowners and municipal employees. Each participant would need written confirmation from their local rav that they are not enrolled in any learning program. Training would be provided by professional international security firms, not the army or police, and would cover hostage response, anti-terror tactics, urban combat, and medical readiness. Members would be fully equipped with weapons, communication systems, and protective gear.
Chain of Command—and ControversyThe most sensitive feature of the plan is its dual authority. “The head of each unit must be someone who learned in a yeshiva,” Rav Deutsch stresses. “All commanders should be graduates of Torah institutions.”
According to the document, the Nasi HaYechidah (unit president) would be chosen jointly by the Moetzes Gedolei HaTorah of Shas, Agudas Yisroel, and Degel HaTorah. While the unit would coordinate with local police during emergencies, the rabbinic leadership would have final say on all spiritual, halachic, and operational matters related to its mission. Rav Deutsch warns that even limited affiliation with the Defense or Internal Security ministries would “inevitably lead to state takeover.”
Rabbinic Positions and Theological BoundariesThroughout the proposal, Rav Deutsch presents sources showing the consistent stance of leading gedolim against IDF service. He cites Rav Elazar Menachem Man Shach, who wrote that “service and enlistment of yeshiva students constitutes yehareg ve’al yaavor.” Rav Dovid Soloveitchik is quoted as saying, “The very founding of the state was a rebellion against Hashem and His Torah… any connection with the army is a Torah prohibition.” Rav Dov Landau is quoted responding to IDF arguments for equality: “We are not the ones being protected—we are the protectors.”
Waiting for Rabbinic ApprovalDespite the depth of the plan, Rav Deutsch remains cautious. “This is only a preliminary suggestion,” he writes. “Only Gedolei Yisroel have the authority to permit or forbid such a step.” He reports that he has already presented the proposal to senior rabbonim from the Litvishe, chassidic, and Sephardic communities, but no official ruling has been issued. One member of the Moetzes Gedolei HaTorah told him, “Such a decision must be made collectively, like a Sanhedrin. It involves saving lives but also exposing people to danger.”
A General’s PerspectiveGeneral Or believes the plan is realistic: “I’m not naïve—I know the challenges are huge, legal and operational. But what I’ve seen working with Rav Deutsch this past year is a genuine desire to contribute.” Regarding the dual command issue, he says: “I’d rather have a chareidi responder who answers 95% of the time and declines 5% for halachic reasons than have none at all. Right now, we have zero.”
“If we build it carefully—with clear training and protocols—it can work,” he concludes. “It’s not perfect, but it’s far better than what exists today.”
Funding and Final ThoughtsThe document includes a preliminary budget and detailed equipment list for every participant—from firearms to tactical boots. Funding, it says, would come from national allocations already earmarked for chareidi enlistment, but routed through the Finance Ministry rather than the Defense Ministry.
Rav Deutsch ends his essay with humility: “We must remain optimistic and seek bridges in this crisis. But Gedolei Yisroel alone can approve or forbid this. Everything depends on them.”
He concludes with words that encapsulate his vision: “All of this is mere hishtadlus for the protection of our homes. For in truth, every believing Jew knows that ‘If Hashem will not guard the city, the watchman keeps vigil in vain.’ We have no one to rely on but our Father in Heaven.”
{Matzav.com}
Naftali Bennett unleashed a fierce attack on the draft law proposed by Likud MK Boaz Bismuth, calling it a “chareidi maneuver” designed to avoid conscription and funnel government funding to those who refuse to serve in the army.
According to Bennett, the legislation — which he said was “written by Shas representatives” — is nothing more than “a full-scale evasion law” that “transfers billions of shekels from those who serve to those who choose not to.” In a lengthy post, Bennett wrote that he had reviewed all 39 pages of the proposal and found it to be “a law intended not to draft a single chareidi, but to enrich young men who opt out of service.”
Bennett listed what he described as the core elements of the plan: immediate restoration of full yeshiva funding and benefits, retroactive amnesty for “draft evaders and deserters,” and indefinite postponement of any meaningful enforcement. “The only sanctions are ridiculous ones — a travel ban or loss of a driver’s license — and even those only apply until age 23,” he said.
The former prime minister went on to accuse the bill of lowering enlistment goals even further and manipulating the criteria for counting recruits. “The law even changes the counting method so that people who are no longer chareidi are still counted as part of the chareidi draft quota,” he explained. “And most importantly,” Bennett continued, “even these absurd targets are meaningless, since a committee controlled by chareidim will be created with the power to change them at any time.” He warned that this new body would replace military oversight and could suspend targets for reasons such as the presence of a female soldier near a religious base — “literally that,” he emphasized.
Bennett concluded his post with a call for a “shared national draft,” framing it as a matter of survival, not politics. “The enlistment of our chareidi brothers is not a partisan issue. After October 7, everyone understands that recruiting soldiers is a matter of life and death,” he wrote. “It cannot be that the entire burden falls on the same reservists and their families who are collapsing under the weight.”
He urged national unity through shared service: “We have one home, and we all must protect it. Only if we serve together as a people can we unite as a people and rebuild the country. Soon we will fix this.”
{Matzav.com}
Growing frustration is setting in within the chareidi political factions, as insiders now admit that the long-promised draft law is slipping further out of reach. According to a senior chareidi figure who spoke with Kikar HaShabbat, even legal advisers inside the Knesset are pushing back against key clauses of the latest version of the bill—making its passage during the current government highly unlikely.
“There are those who think they can separate the legal adviser of the Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee from the Knesset’s chief legal adviser, but that’s not going to happen,” the senior official said. “We have to tell the truth to the rabbonim and the public—there is no law, and it’s doubtful there will be one in this term. From here, the rabbonim will have to decide what comes next.”
The current draft, shaped by Likud MK Boaz Bismuth and the Knesset’s Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee, has taken on a formal appearance but includes major departures from previous versions. Among the most significant changes: the law no longer sets mandatory enlistment targets for combat service—a key difference from MK Yuli Edelstein’s earlier proposal. Additionally, the term “yeshiva students” has been removed from the text and replaced with a broader definition of “graduates of chareidi institutions.” Sanctions for failing to meet targets, such as budget cuts to yeshivos, would not go into effect until a year after the law is enacted.
Although preliminary understandings were reportedly reached with Shas and Degel HaTorah, the official presentation of the bill was abruptly postponed. Prime Minister Netanyahu instructed Bismuth to delay the committee meeting, officially citing the need for “further examination.” However, sources within the chareidi parties acknowledge that the real reason was to avoid public backlash amid plans for a major protest rally scheduled at the same time.
Senior members of Agudas Yisroel voiced sharp criticism of the legislation, telling associates that “there’s no chance this law passes.” They argue the proposal fails to truly safeguard the yeshiva system and instead serves as a “political token” for Shas to display progress to its voters. The same sources confirmed that the Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee’s legal adviser has expressed strong objections to several core sections, warning that the bill would likely face immediate challenges in the Supreme Court.
A particularly consequential shift in the law’s language positions its main purpose not around drafting chareidim, but around “defining the legal status of yeshiva students.” This reframing softens potential penalties if recruitment goals aren’t met. Yet, legal experts warn the new focus leaves the legislation vulnerable to enforcement problems and judicial intervention—risks already flagged by the committee’s legal counsel as significant hurdles to implementation.
{Matzav.com}In a deeply moving encounter, the Satmar Rebbe, Rav Aharon Teitelbaum, paid a visit to the federal Otisville Correctional Facility in New York, where he offered words of chizuk and solace to dozens of Jewish inmates serving their sentences.
The Rebbe’s arrival on Thursday afternoon marked a moment of spiritual uplift for those incarcerated. As he entered the facility, he was greeted by Rabbi Chaim Shochet, the prison’s chaplain and rov of the Anshei Sefard shul in Monsey, who played a key role in facilitating the visit.
After completing the required security procedures, the Rebbe began his visit with a meeting with the prison’s senior officials, including the warden and other supervisors responsible for the open housing unit where many Orthodox Jewish inmates are held.
During the discussion, the Rebbe advocated on behalf of the Jewish prisoners, expressing heartfelt concern for their welfare and conditions.
While the main purpose of the trip was to visit one of his own chassidim who is currently imprisoned, the Rebbe used the occasion to reach out to all the Jewish inmates in the facility, referring to them tenderly as “Asirei Yisroel” — the captives of the Jewish people.
The highlight of the visit took place in the prison’s makeshift beis tefillah, where dozens of inmates from across the religious spectrum were waiting eagerly to see the Rebbe. In an emotionally charged scene, the Rebbe delivered divrei kodesh filled with warmth, encouragement, and blessing, urging them to remain strong in their emunah despite their hardships. He concluded his remarks by blessing them that they should soon merit to emerge “me’afeilah le’or gadol” — from darkness into great light.
After the address, the Rebbe met privately with each inmate, accepting kvitlach and offering individual words of comfort and guidance. Prisoners poured out their hearts to the Rebbe about their pain and struggles. The Rebbe, in turn, responded to each one with compassion, empathy, and messages of hope.
The historic visit, made possible despite significant bureaucratic and logistical challenges, left an indelible impression on all who were present.
{Matzav.com}
President Donald Trump revealed that Chinese leader Xi Jinping has personally assured him that Beijing would not attempt any military or political action to bring Taiwan under Chinese control while Trump is in office.
Speaking to CBS’ 60 Minutes, Trump said that Taiwan was not discussed during his recent meeting with Xi in South Korea, where the two primarily focused on trade relations between Washington and Beijing. Still, Trump expressed complete confidence that China would refrain from making any moves on the island while he leads the United States. “He has openly said, and his people have openly said at meetings, ‘We would never do anything while President Trump is president,’ because they know the consequences,” Trump stated in the interview excerpt aired Sunday.
The question of Taiwan’s sovereignty has long been one of the most sensitive flashpoints in U.S.-China relations. Taiwan functions as a self-governing democracy, but China insists the island is part of its territory and has not ruled out using military force to achieve reunification.
Since 1979, the Taiwan Relations Act has served as the cornerstone of U.S. policy toward the island. While it stops short of obligating the United States to defend Taiwan militarily, it commits America to helping ensure that Taiwan can protect itself and discourages any unilateral change in its political status.
When asked directly whether he would order American troops to defend Taiwan if China launched an attack, Trump sidestepped the question. The U.S. has long maintained a strategy of “strategic ambiguity” on the matter, declining to explicitly declare whether it would intervene militarily to defend the island. “You’ll find out if it happens, and he understands the answer to that,” Trump said, referring to Xi.
Neither the White House nor the Chinese embassy in Washington responded to inquiries about Trump’s claim or provided specifics about when Xi or his officials may have made such assurances.
The 60 Minutes segment was filmed on Friday at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago residence in Florida and marked his first appearance on the program since resolving a legal dispute with CBS earlier this year over an interview involving Kamala Harris.
The remainder of the interview is slated to air later Sunday, with more portions expected to cover Trump’s foreign policy agenda and his ongoing talks with global leaders.
{Matzav.com}
Political analyst and presidential adviser Dick Morris warned that the New York City mayoral race could reshape the national image of the Democratic Party if socialist candidate Zohran Mamdani captures City Hall. Speaking to Newsmax on Saturday, Morris described the election as a pivotal moment for Democrats and a bellwether of where the party is heading.
“We have to understand that if Mamdani wins, he’s going to become the poster child for the Democratic Party,” Morris told Newsmax’s The Count. “When people think of the Democratic Party, they’re going to think of Mamdani and AOC (Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez).”
According to Morris, a Mamdani victory would spotlight the Democratic Party’s radical evolution and the growing influence of its far-left wing. “Ultimately, it’s the best way we have of illustrating how crazy the Democrats have become, how antisemitism has become their theme [and] vibe,” he said. “I think that will send shock waves throughout the Jewish community in New York and nationally.”
Morris expressed support for Republican contender Curtis Sliwa, calling him “obviously … the one who should be elected,” and accused Mamdani of embracing the same failed policies introduced years ago by Andrew Cuomo, who is now running as an independent in the same race. “The idea of sanctuary cities, the idea of arrest without bail, letting people go, those were all pioneered by Andrew Cuomo, and he passed some of them into law in New York state,” Morris said.
The veteran strategist—who once served President Bill Clinton—argued that the Democratic Party has veered ever further left after each defeat, abandoning moderation in favor of ideological extremism. “It’s gotten so deformed, so degenerate,” Morris said. “What happens when the Democrats lose an election? They react by moving to the left, not by moving to the center, and they nominate increasingly crazy candidates until the country gets it and pulls them up short.”
He pointed to the party’s history of missteps after past losses. “After Jimmy Carter was defeated by Ronald Reagan, they nominated Dukakis and Mondale,” Morris recalled. “It took a long time for Clinton to bring them back to sanity. And I think Democrats are going to be basically self-immolating in a firestorm of crazy rhetoric.”
{Matzav.com}President Donald Trump renewed his call for Senate Republicans to scrap the filibuster, demanding they use the nuclear option to pass the House GOP’s continuing resolution with a simple majority and put an end to the ongoing government shutdown.
“The Democrats will terminate the Filibuster the first chance they get,” Trump wrote on Truth Social Saturday night. “They will Pack the Supreme Court, pick up two States, and add at least 8 Electoral Votes. Their two objectors are gone!!!”
Trump said the GOP should not rely on Democratic restraint, warning that the opposing party lacks “parliamentary discipline” and will reverse any advantage once back in power. His message to Republicans was blunt and urgent: “Don’t be WEAK AND STUPID. FIGHT, FIGHT, FIGHT! WIN, WIN, WIN! We will immediately END the Extortionist Shutdown, get ALL of our agenda passed, and make life so good for Americans that these DERANGED DEMOCRAT politicians will never again have the chance to DESTROY AMERICA!”
The Senate’s current filibuster rules require 60 votes to pass most legislation, except under specific budget reconciliation procedures. With 100 total seats, a majority vote—along with Vice President JD Vance’s tie-breaking authority—would be sufficient if the filibuster were removed. Republicans currently control 53 seats, while Democrats hold 45 and two independents caucus with them.
Trump blasted Senate Democrats and their leader, Chuck Schumer, accusing them of hypocrisy for opposing shutdowns only when their party controls the government. He predicted that Democrats will eventually remove the filibuster themselves and urged Republicans to act first to reopen the government and deliver results to the American people. “Republicans, you will rue the day that you didn’t TERMINATE THE FILIBUSTER!!!” Trump wrote. “BE TOUGH, BE SMART, AND WIN!!! This is much bigger than the Shutdown, this is the survival of our Country!”
Senate Majority Leader John Thune has worked to build bipartisan support to reopen the government, successfully drawing a few Democrats across the aisle. However, he has fallen short of the required 60 votes, reaching only 55. So far, Senator Rand Paul has been the lone Republican opposing efforts to end the shutdown, citing his fiscal concerns.
This shutdown has now set a new record as the longest full closure of the federal government in U.S. history, surpassing even the partial shutdown during Trump’s first term. The list of the top shutdowns underscores Trump’s political battles: the 2019 standoff under his administration lasted 35 days, followed by the current 33-day impasse, with Bill Clinton’s 21-day shutdown in 1996 trailing behind.
Earlier in the week, Trump had already called for bold action, writing, “It is now time for the Republicans to play their ‘TRUMP CARD,’ and go for what is called the Nuclear Option — Get rid of the Filibuster, and get rid of it, NOW.”
Despite his appeal, both Thune and House Speaker Mike Johnson declined to follow that path, arguing that such a move could backfire once Democrats regain control of the Senate, giving them unchecked power to reshape the country’s institutions.
{Matzav.com}
Tehran is just days away from running out of drinking water as one of its main reservoirs nears depletion, according to alarming reports from Iranian state media. The country’s capital, home to over 10 million residents, is now confronting what experts describe as an unprecedented water crisis fueled by extreme drought conditions.
Behzad Parsa, head of Tehran’s water company, told the IRNA news agency that the Amir Kabir Dam — a crucial source of the city’s water — “holds just 14 million cubic meters of water, which is eight percent of its capacity.” He cautioned that the reservoir can sustain the city “for two weeks” at most before its supply runs dry.
A year ago, that same dam contained 86 million cubic meters of water, but this year’s rainfall has all but disappeared. Parsa revealed that there has been a “100% drop in precipitation” across the Tehran region, leaving reservoirs and groundwater severely depleted.
The city sits at the foot of the Alborz Mountains, whose rivers traditionally provide lifelines of fresh water from snowmelt. But the mountains’ once-reliable runoff has been drastically reduced amid what officials are calling Iran’s worst drought in decades. One local authority warned last month that rainfall levels in Tehran Province were “nearly without precedent for a century.”
Parsa did not specify the current status of Tehran’s other four reservoirs, but local reports indicate that the situation is dire across the board. The capital consumes roughly three million cubic meters of water daily — a demand that far exceeds the remaining reserves.
As conditions worsen, authorities have begun rationing supplies. Several neighborhoods have already had their water shut off in recent days, and summer months saw repeated outages across the city. In July and August, the government even declared two public holidays in an attempt to conserve power and water during an intense heatwave that brought widespread blackouts.
“The water crisis is more serious than what is being discussed today,” Iranian President Massoud Pezeshkian warned earlier this year, underscoring the depth of the unfolding emergency.
{Matzav.com}
It is with great sadness that Matzav.comreports the passing of Rebbetzin Reva Wasserman a”h at the age of 87.
Rebbetzin Wasserman was the wife of Rav Yitzchok Wasserman, rosh yeshiva of Yeshiva Toras Chaim of Denver, and the daughter of R’ Moshe Shimon Bayarsky z”l of Baltimore.
In 1967, Rav Wasserman, a talmid of Rav Aharon Kotler zt”l, was sent by Rav Shneur Kotler zt”l to Denver, Colorado, to establish a yeshiva, which he did with Rav Yisroel Meir Kagan. Together with his devoted wife, Rebbetzin Reva, they founded Yeshiva Toras Chaim, which went on to become a vibrant makom Torah in the Rocky Mountain region. The Rebbetzin’s boundless devotion, warmth, and steadfast support were integral to the yeshiva’s success and enduring influence.
Known for her middos tovos, chesed, and ahavas Yisroel, Rebbetzin Wasserman exemplified grace, humility, and compassion. She carried herself with quiet dignity and selflessness, constantly seeking ways to uplift others and extend kindness to everyone who crossed her path. Her home was one of hachnasas orchim, encouragement, and genuine care, a reflection of her pure heart and unwavering bitachon.
The levaya is taking place today in Denver, Colorado, at Yeshiva Toras Chaim. Kevurah will follow in Lakewood, New Jersey.
She is survived by her husband, Rav Yitzchok Wasserman, and their children: R’ Yosef Shmuel Wasserman of Lakewood, Rebbetzin Sara Gitty Nussbaum of Denver, R’ Baruch Tzvi Wasserman of Baltimore, and R’ Ahron Yisroel Wasserman of Denver, as well as numerous grandchildren who continue her legacy of Torah and yiras Shamayim.
Yehi zichrah baruch.
{Matzav.com}
In a surprising twist to New York City’s heated mayoral race, even leading Democrats are rallying behind stronger policing measures — a move seen as a direct pushback against the far-left policies of democratic socialist Zohran Mamdani.
Andrew Cuomo, who’s making a political comeback as an independent after being shut out of the Democratic primary, threw his weight behind outgoing Mayor Eric Adams’ ambitious proposal to swell the NYPD ranks by 5,000 officers. Cuomo framed the plan as a long-overdue response to what he called an unsustainable staffing crisis inside the police department.
“We’re losing police officers at one of the highest rates of attrition because they’re so short-staffed, they have to work all the time,” Cuomo said, according to the New York Post. “Hiring 5,000 police officers will actually give them enough staff where people can work normal shifts.”
Under Adams’ plan, the NYPD would grow from under 34,000 officers to roughly 40,000 by 2029 — the largest the force has been in nearly two decades. The proposal, which requires City Council approval, would cost $17.8 million in the upcoming fiscal year and balloon to about $315.8 million by the end of the decade.
Cuomo used the initiative as a political cudgel against Mamdani, slamming him for his anti-policing record and his vocal support for the “defund the police” movement. Cuomo, a former three-term governor, accused Mamdani of putting radical ideology over public safety.
“Either Mamdani knows more about public safety than Mayor Adams — who served 22 years as a police officer — or he’s just pushing ideology,” Cuomo charged. “Socialists are against the police.”
Sensing political danger, Mamdani has tried to soften his stance in recent weeks, walking back earlier comments and apologizing “for the language I’ve used.” He’s since proposed creating a $1.1 billion Department of Community Safety to handle nonviolent mental health emergencies, while promising to retain current Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch if elected.
Republican candidate Curtis Sliwa, meanwhile, wasted no time blasting both Cuomo and Mamdani, arguing that the two left-leaning politicians share responsibility for the city’s decline.
“Andrew Cuomo, the one that you’re flirting with, said he would leave New York City and flee to Florida if he loses next week,” Sliwa told Newsmax’s “Finnerty.” “I fight for what I know is right. Improve, don’t move. If I happen to lose to Zohran Mamdani, I become his worst nightmare.”
“I pitch my Republican flag and my law and order values, and I fight, fight, fight. That’s what Republicans do — we don’t surrender, we don’t retreat, and we don’t drop out,” Sliwa declared.
{Matzav.com}