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Iran and Israel appear to be heading toward another confrontation, with Middle East intelligence sources telling The New York Times that the brief but intense 12-day war earlier this year failed to eliminate the Islamic Republic’s nuclear capabilities. Instead, they say Tehran has been rapidly rebuilding its military strength and is preparing for a much larger conflict.

“Iran’s stockpile of highly enriched uranium, enough to make 11 nuclear weapons, is either buried under rubble, as Iran claims, or has been spirited away to a safe place, as Israeli officials believe,” the report said.

Officials cited by the Times warned that both nations are actively planning for renewed hostilities, despite the heavy losses suffered in June. American and Israeli intelligence now suspect the bombing campaign may have caused far less harm to Iran’s underground facilities than initially believed.

Another flashpoint comes from the diplomatic deadlock between Washington and Tehran. Multiple attempts to revive dialogue collapsed earlier this year, and the expiration of the 2015 nuclear deal has now reimposed crippling sanctions on Iran. Combined with Tehran’s refusal to allow inspectors into its latest uranium enrichment site, many in the region fear that another Israeli strike is “almost inevitable,” according to the report.

Ali Vaez, Iran project director at the International Crisis Group, said Tehran is racing to expand its military capacity. “Fire 2,000 at once to overwhelm Israeli defenses, not 500 over 12 days,” he told the Times, describing Iran’s plan to dramatically increase its missile launch capability.

“Israel feels the job is unfinished and sees no reason not to resume the conflict, so Iran is doubling down preparedness for the next round,” Vaez added, while noting that no immediate action appears to be planned.

Efforts to rekindle nuclear talks have made little headway, and Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei recently dismissed any prospect of meaningful cooperation with Washington. “The Americans sometimes say they would like to cooperate with Iran. Cooperation with Iran is not possible as long as the US continues to support the accursed Zionist regime, maintains military bases, and interferes in the region,” Khamenei said, according to Iranian state media.

“The arrogant nature of the United States accepts nothing other than submission.”

Vaez noted that Iran’s leadership remains deeply split on how to move forward. Some senior figures still favor pursuing a new nuclear deal to ease the country’s crushing economic hardships and widespread water shortages. But others argue that diplomacy is pointless after Trump withdrew from the 2015 agreement during his first term.

Despite these internal disagreements, Vaez told the Times that there is one consensus among Tehran’s decision-makers: another confrontation with Israel is unavoidable.

Israel, for its part, insists that its June offensive targeting Iranian nuclear scientists, missile engineers, and senior military figures was a necessary preemptive strike to stop what it calls Tehran’s ongoing drive toward nuclear weaponization.

While Iran continues to deny that it seeks nuclear arms, its enrichment levels, obstruction of international oversight, and acceleration of ballistic missile programs have only fueled suspicions. Israeli intelligence officials say those steps left them with no choice but to act — and warn that the next phase of the conflict may only be a matter of time.

{Matzav.com}

Israeli Defense Minister Yisroel Katz lashed out at Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Sunday after Ankara announced arrest warrants for 37 Israeli officials, accusing them of genocide tied to Israel’s war against Hamas in Gaza.

The sweeping warrants reportedly name Prime Minister Bibi Netanyahu, Katz himself, National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir, IDF Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir, and Navy Commander David Saar Salama among those wanted.

In a fiery response, Katz posted an AI-generated image on X depicting Erdogan peering through binoculars toward Gaza — the lenses reflecting an Israeli flag. “Erdogan, take your ridiculous arrest warrants and get out of here. They’re more fitting for the massacre you carried out against the Kurds. Israel is strong and unafraid,” Katz declared, adding, “You’ll only see Gaza through binoculars.” The message appeared in both Hebrew and Turkish.

The announcement from Turkey marks a sharp escalation in already frayed relations. Erdogan’s rhetoric toward Israel has grown increasingly belligerent since the October 7, 2023, Hamas assault that ignited the ongoing conflict in Gaza.

Before the war, Israel and Turkey had been on a path toward repairing long-damaged diplomatic ties, with ambassadorial exchanges and trade cooperation signaling cautious normalization. That trajectory quickly collapsed after Hamas’s brutal attack and Israel’s subsequent counteroffensive.

In March, Erdogan denounced Israel as a “terror state” after airstrikes targeted Hamas positions. Three months later, in June, he claimed that Netanyahu’s government posed “the most significant threat to Middle East security.”

{Matzav.com}

President Donald Trump unleashed a fiery rebuke against the BBC on Sunday after the network’s Director-General, Tim Davie, and its News and Current Affairs chief, Deborah Turness, stepped down amid mounting outrage over the broadcaster’s handling of Trump’s January 6, 2021, speech.

“The TOP people in the BBC, including TIM DAVIE, the BOSS, are all quitting/FIRED, because they were caught ‘doctoring’ my very good (PERFECT!) speech of January 6th. Thank you to The Telegraph for exposing these Corrupt ‘Journalists,’” Trump wrote on Truth Social.

“These are very dishonest people who tried to step on the scales of a Presidential Election. On top of everything else, they are from a Foreign Country, one that many consider our Number One Ally. What a terrible thing for Democracy!” he added.

The resignations followed weeks of backlash over revelations that the BBC had broadcast a manipulated version of Trump’s remarks from January 6. The edited footage reportedly removed his call for supporters to “act peacefully” and combined distant sections of the speech to appear as a single sequence.

Outrage over the omissions led to accusations that the BBC had intentionally distorted the footage, violating its charter-mandated commitment to impartial journalism.

The controversy escalated further after internal documents surfaced from a review led by Michael Prescott, a consultant brought in by the BBC to evaluate its editorial integrity. Prescott’s findings criticized the network’s bias not only in political coverage but also in its handling of transgender-related topics and its Arabic-language reports, which the review said exhibited anti-Israel slant.

The fallout prompted reactions abroad. Israel’s Foreign Ministry issued a strongly worded statement Sunday night, saying, “The resignation of the BBC Director-General underscores the deep-seated bias that has long characterized the BBC’s coverage of Israel. For far too long, the BBC has spread disinformation that fuels antisemitism and radicalization.”

“But the problem extends beyond the BBC – far too many news outlets are promoting politics disguised as facts, amplifying Hamas’s fake campaigns,” the statement continued.

“The time has come for real accountability to restore integrity, fair and factual journalism,” the Foreign Ministry concluded.

{Matzav.com}

After 40 days of gridlock, the Senate took its first formal steps Sunday toward ending the government shutdown, moving forward on a bipartisan plan that lacks a guaranteed extension of healthcare subsidies — a sticking point that has split Democrats and fueled frustration across Washington.

The compromise emerged from a group of moderates — Senators Jeanne Shaheen and Maggie Hassan of New Hampshire, and Independent Senator Angus King of Maine — who agreed to reopen the government if three full-year spending bills were passed and all remaining programs were funded through late January. Senate Majority Leader John Thune backed the plan Sunday night, calling for an immediate vote. “The time to act is now,” Thune said.

Under the proposal, the Senate would vote later on the fate of the health subsidies while restoring thousands of federal workers who were dismissed since the shutdown began October 1. Appropriations Chairwoman Susan Collins, who has led efforts to bridge the divide, said she was “relieved” to see movement at last. “We must not delay any longer,” she told colleagues from the Senate floor.

Republicans need five Democrats to reach the threshold to reopen the government. Along with Shaheen, King, and Hassan, Senator Tim Kaine of Virginia said he would support the agreement, explaining, “I have long said that to earn my vote, we need to be on a path toward fixing Republicans’ healthcare mess and to protect the federal workforce.”

But Democratic leaders expressed deep dissatisfaction. Following a two-hour caucus meeting, Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer told reporters he could not “in good faith” back the deal. “America is in the midst of a Republican-made healthcare crisis,” Schumer said, warning that Americans would “suffer immensely” without renewed subsidies. “Democrats have sounded the alarm,” he added, vowing they “will not give up the fight.”

Independent Senator Bernie Sanders of Vermont denounced the compromise as a “horrific mistake,” saying it surrendered leverage on healthcare reform. His comments echoed concerns voiced by progressives in both chambers that the emerging deal concedes too much without extracting concrete promises.

House Progressive Caucus Chair Greg Casar blasted the agreement as “a betrayal,” writing on X, “Accepting nothing but a pinky promise from Republicans isn’t a compromise — it’s capitulation. Millions of families would pay the price.” Representative Angie Craig of Minnesota dismissed the plan even more sharply, posting, “If people believe this is a ‘deal,’ I have a bridge to sell you.”

Despite Democratic objections, Republicans have praised the moderates’ efforts. The agreement would fund key areas including veterans’ programs, food aid, and the legislative branch while extending all other federal spending until January’s end. It also guarantees back pay for government workers and halts additional layoffs. The text of the deal, however, has not yet been made public.

Returning from a football game Sunday night, President Trump sounded optimistic but noncommittal. “It looks like we’re getting close to the shutdown ending,” he told reporters, without confirming whether he supported the plan.

Republican leaders also released the final versions of three long-delayed spending bills, which maintain the ban on congressional pay raises but increase security spending by $203.5 million in response to growing threats. One measure, championed by Senator Mitch McConnell, would also restrict sales of certain hemp-based products.

Still, even if the Senate advances the measure, final passage could take several days if opponents slow the process with procedural objections. The first vote could occur as early as Sunday evening, though the future of healthcare subsidies remains uncertain. House Speaker Mike Johnson has already said he will not commit to bringing a health vote to the floor.

Meanwhile, the effects of the shutdown continue to ripple nationwide. Flight cancellations surpassed 2,000 on Sunday — the highest yet — and more than 7,000 delays were reported, according to FlightAware. Treasury Secretary Sean Duffy warned that air travel could be “reduced to a trickle” ahead of the Thanksgiving holiday if the government remains closed.

Food assistance programs are also being strained. Tens of millions of Americans have seen SNAP benefits delayed amid legal disputes, while two dozen states warned of “catastrophic operational disruptions.” In Washington, the Capital Area Food Bank reported distributing eight million more meals than budgeted — nearly a 20% surge — to support unpaid federal employees and struggling families.

As pressure mounts, both sides face a narrowing window to end the standoff before further economic damage takes hold. Whether the compromise will finally bring an end to the shutdown — or merely delay another showdown — remains to be seen.

{Matzav.com}

Legal commentator Avishai Grinzaig has floated an intriguing hypothesis regarding the mysterious disappearance—and later discovery—of the phone belonging to former Military Advocate General, Yifat Tomer-Yerushalmi.

Grinzaig questioned why Tomer-Yerushalmi has not been accused of destroying evidence in connection with the missing phone. He then proposed a scenario that, while speculative, could explain several puzzling elements of the case.

“I have a theory,” Grinzaig wrote. “It’s only a theory, but it makes sense.”

According to his idea, police had already found the phone “a while ago,” but chose not to announce it. Instead, they allegedly planted a duplicate phone in its place to see whether Tomer-Yerushalmi or anyone close to her would act suspiciously—such as attempting to interfere with the investigation after learning about the phone’s supposed disappearance.

This, Grinzaig suggested, could explain several inconsistencies: how the phone was retrieved intact after six days in the sea without signs of corrosion, why divers failed to locate it earlier, and why police confirmed it was her phone almost simultaneously with her release from custody.

Grinzaig emphasized again that his remarks were purely speculative and not based on any concrete information. Still, he couldn’t resist a jab at law enforcement: “The problem with this theory,” he quipped, “is that it would require a level of sophistication on the part of the police.”

Police correspondent Moshe Steinmetz later added context, noting that during the first remand hearing, when the defense attorney claimed there had been no obstruction of justice, the police representative “objected” but was notably cautious about making any clear statement on the matter.

{Matzav.com}

Israel has been pushed to the margins at the Civil-Military Coordination Center (CMCC) in Kiryat Gat — the nerve center of the international effort to oversee Gaza’s fragile ceasefire — as the United States assumes near-total control of the operation, senior Israeli officials told Times of Israel. Once expected to be the main architect of […]

Israel’s Health Ministry reported on Sunday that a 7-year-old boy from Jerusalem passed away on Shabbos after contracting measles. He passed away after arriving at the emergency room due to complications from the disease. According to the statement, the child, who had an underlying medical condition, had received one dose of the measles vaccine. This […]

PRES. TRUMP: “It looks like we’re getting close to the shutdown ending, you’ll know very soon.”

Over the past thousand years of Jewish history, we’ve rarely remained in one country for more than 80 to 120 years before the social or political climate turned against us. From England to Spain, from Poland to Germany, each thriving Jewish community eventually reached a point where life became unsustainable and was forced to move […]

A startling incident shook Yerushalayim’s chareidi neighborhoods this past Shabbos night when a group of teenage boys from fringe circles were caught on security cameras scattering pashkevillin and flyers attacking Shas leader MK Aryeh Deri right in the middle of Shabbos.

Residents of Meah Shearim, Geulah, and Beis Yisroel awoke to find their streets littered with political posters bearing sharp messages against Deri and the Shas leadership. “This wasn’t done before Shabbos,” said one local shopkeeper whose cameras captured the scene. “They were out there on Shabbos itself, throwing papers through the streets late at night.”

The footage, circulated among residents, shows several young men dumping piles of flyers along alleyways and sidewalks. According to local rabbonim, such actions constitute a serious issur Shabbos, not only because carrying the flyers involves muktzah but also because it appears the youths were being paid for their work, making it outright melachah. “Simply holding and distributing these political handouts on Shabbos is forbidden,” explained one rov. “If they were doing so for payment, it’s a severe violation in every respect.”

Community members described the act as part of a disturbing new pattern. “We’ve seen flyers put up close to Shabbos before, but never something like this—open, deliberate desecration of Shabbos for political purposes,” said a longtime resident. “This isn’t internal debate anymore; this is an attack on a symbol of Sephardic Torah leadership.”

A local Sephardic rov echoed that sentiment: “These are small groups of bored, disconnected youth from the margins, but what they did crosses a sacred line—against Kedushas HaShabbos and Kavod HaTorah.”

While the Shas party declined to issue an official statement, senior officials privately condemned the event as “wild incitement disguised as social protest.” One Shas activist said, “This is not only public chilul Shabbos—it’s an attempt to ignite conflict within the chareidi camp itself. This has gone beyond ideological disagreement; it’s an act of defiance against rabbinic authority.”

Observers of the chareidi world note that the incident highlights a worrying shift: some disaffected young people are now using the language of political protest even at the expense of religious principles. “In the past, even the most extreme kana’im would never take to the streets on Shabbos,” said a veteran askan from the Eidah HaChareidis. “What we’re seeing now is the erosion of internal boundaries—a generation that feels detached from traditional rabbinic leadership.”

{Matzav.com}

Israel’s Health Ministry reported on Sunday that a 7-year-old boy from Jerusalem passed away on Shabbos after contracting measles. He passed away after arriving at the emergency room due to complications from the disease. According to the statement, the child, who had an underlying medical condition, had received one dose of the measles vaccine. This […]

Harvard Law professor emeritus Alan Dershowitz sharply denounced New York City’s incoming mayor, Zohran Mamdani, calling him “an enemy of America” and “a blatant antisemite.” Speaking on Newsmax TV’s Saturday Report, Dershowitz condemned both Mamdani’s record and the political movement he represents.

“Not only is he a critic of Israel, but he also belongs to a party whose platform includes that nobody can be a member of the Democratic Socialists of America if they believe that Israel has the right to exist at all,” Dershowitz said. “And he himself said he wouldn’t recognize Israel as a Jewish state that we recognize as dozens of Muslim states. That’s pure, blatant international antisemitism. Mamdani is a bigot, an antisemite, a Jew hater.”

The outspoken legal scholar accused Mamdani of masking his hostility toward Israel behind rhetoric of equality. “He can say all he wants about swastikas and how he will stand with the Jewish community. He is an enemy of America, he’s an enemy of decency, an enemy of the Jewish people, an enemy of Israel, an enemy of Alan Dershowitz,” he declared.

Mamdani, 34, rose to prominence as a progressive state legislator before running for mayor. His campaign focused on economic issues like housing affordability and childcare access, but his aggressive stance against Israel drew national attention. He has repeatedly characterized Israel’s military campaign in Gaza as “genocide,” a claim Israel’s government categorically rejects. Mamdani has also said he would arrest Prime Minister Bibi Netanyahu if he entered New York City and has hinted at severing ties with Israeli businesses and universities.

Though Mamdani insists he supports Israel’s existence, he has stated that any government giving Jews priority status over others contradicts his commitment to universal rights. His position has alarmed many Jewish voters and pro-Israel groups who see it as an attempt to delegitimize the Jewish state.

Dershowitz pledged to fight Mamdani “in every legal, permissible way possible.” “We’ll beat him down in every legal, permissible way possible,” he said. “He is tremendous damage because his election for the first time sends a message you can be an antisemite, you can be an anti-Zionist, you can be anti-American, and you can still win in a city like New York, perhaps in Minneapolis and San Francisco, in Chicago and other cities.”

Drawing a chilling historical comparison, Dershowitz continued, “It really, to me, sounds a little bit like what was going on in Austria and in Germany in 1932. I’m not talking about Germany in 1939, when being an antisemite didn’t disqualify you from being the mayor of Vienna, Berlin, and being an antisemite, not disqualifying you from being the mayor of New York. Getting 32% of the Jewish vote shows you how dangerous this is, and how absurd and idiotic some Jews are.”

He concluded with a searing rebuke to Jewish voters who supported Mamdani. “President Trump got it exactly right when he said that any Jew who votes for Mamdani is an absolute fool, a self-hating fool. But we’ve seen that Jews supported Stalin, Jews supported Pol Pot, Jews supported Castro, even some Jews supported Mussolini, and even a handful supported Hitler. Jews can be as idiotic as anybody else, and the Jews who voted for Mamdani showed their idiocy and their self-hatred,” Dershowitz said.

{Matzav.com}

Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and her husband Paul Pelosi amassed more than $130 million in stock profits during her 37 years in Congress — a staggering 16,930% return that has reignited calls to ban lawmakers and their spouses from trading individual stocks while in office. Pelosi, 85, announced last week that she will retire […]

A federal grand jury has reportedly issued subpoenas to three top Obama-era intelligence and law enforcement figures involved in the U.S. government’s 2016 Russia investigation, according to CBS News sources familiar with the development.

Those subpoenaed include former CIA Director John Brennan, former FBI counterintelligence official Peter Strzok, and former FBI attorney Lisa Page. The source said that more subpoenas may follow soon as investigators widen their inquiry.

The subpoenas originate from the Southern District of Florida and are said to demand records tied to the creation of the Obama administration’s intelligence community assessment, which was released publicly in January 2017. That report alleged that Russia launched a covert influence operation aimed at helping Donald Trump win the presidency over Hillary Clinton.

It remains uncertain which federal office is steering this latest inquiry or whether any of the findings could lead to criminal charges. None of the three individuals identified have issued public statements about the subpoenas.

The investigation revisits one of Washington’s most divisive topics: how U.S. intelligence agencies handled evidence and analysis during the original probe into alleged ties between Russia and the Trump campaign. The 2017 intelligence assessment’s classified version included a summary of the “Steele dossier,” a file compiled by ex-British spy Christopher Steele containing unverified claims about Trump’s supposed Russian connections. The research had been funded by Democrats.

The dossier’s inclusion in the assessment drew sharp criticism from Trump and his supporters, who viewed it as a politically motivated move to legitimize baseless allegations.

Multiple reviews — among them bipartisan congressional probes and Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s lengthy investigation — have confirmed that Russia interfered in the 2016 election through hacking and an orchestrated social media disinformation campaign. However, Mueller’s report stated that while the Trump campaign “welcomed” Moscow’s efforts, investigators “did not establish” that Trump or his aides conspired with Russian agents.

Since reclaiming the presidency, Trump has repeatedly attacked the credibility of the Russia investigations, labeling them politically driven. His administration’s intelligence chiefs — FBI Director Kash Patel, CIA Director John Ratcliffe, and Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard — have endorsed releasing previously classified materials related to the 2016 probe.

In July, Ratcliffe made public a CIA analysis that cited “tradecraft anomalies” in how the Obama-era intelligence report was compiled. The review faulted the decision to include a summary of the Steele dossier in a classified annex, saying it “implicitly elevated unsubstantiated claims to the status of credible supporting evidence, compromising the analytical integrity of the judgment.”

It is not yet known who else may have been subpoenaed as part of this expanding federal investigation, nor what direction prosecutors intend to pursue as they revisit the origins of one of the most controversial chapters in recent U.S. political history.

{Matzav.com}

SHUTDOWN OVER: Senators have reached a deal to end the government shutdown. The agreement, which was negotiated in part by Sens. Angus King, Jeanne Shaheen and Maggie Hassan as well as GOP senators, has “more than enough” members of the Senate Democratic Caucus to advance, according to two people granted anonymity to disclose the terms. […]

Growing concern is spreading among residents of Yerushalayim’s Ramot neighborhood over what they describe as suspicious digging, constant drilling, and rapid illegal construction coming from the nearby Arab village of Beit Iksa—activity they fear may involve tunnels rather than ordinary building work.

According to dozens of complaints sent to the Regavim movement in recent months, the noises of heavy machinery and digging are often heard late at night, including on Shabbos and Yomim Tovim. Residents have also reported gunfire and multiple break-ins, heightening fears in the community, which still bears the trauma of a recent terror attack carried out by terrorists who entered through a gap in the security line near Ramot.

Beit Iksa sits directly on the Yerushalayim security seam, just a few hundred meters from Route 1 and the Tel Aviv–Yerushalayim railway. This geographic position, Regavim warns, enables near-unrestricted access between Palestinian areas and Israeli territory. The group notes that illegal Arab construction has expanded toward Yerushalayim’s periphery, accompanied by smuggling of weapons and vehicles, all while taking advantage of the area’s ambiguous jurisdiction—classified as Area B, under Palestinian municipal control but with Israeli military authority—where enforcement is virtually nonexistent.

Regavim says it has repeatedly appealed to enforcement agencies regarding what it calls a “serious security threat,” emphasizing that many of the structures encroaching toward Ramot pose direct dangers. “The real answer is not another security fence or separation wall,” said Yehuda Noam, Regavim’s Yerushalayim coordinator. “It is unacceptable that the State of Israel allows hostile, illegal Arab construction right on the railway tracks and alongside Route 1, near residential neighborhoods.”

Noam added that “the solution is not building another multi-million-shekel fence, but increasing enforcement, strengthening Jewish presence, and restoring governance in the area. After the events of October 7, when the most advanced fence in the Middle East was breached in minutes by mobs in sandals, we must stop pretending that another fence is the answer.”

Emails shared with Regavim by worried residents paint a troubling picture. One family from Ramot A wrote, “We often hear gunfire in the evenings, especially on Friday nights. There are constant drilling and digging noises. We feel exposed and threatened by the neighboring Arab villages, especially after so many recent attacks.”

Another resident from Ramot 06 described “nonstop tractor activity, land being cleared, and new buildings and neighborhoods going up. We feel deeply unsafe. Please intervene to stop the massive illegal construction and demolish the buildings meant to surround Ramot.” She added a chilling request: “Please check if tunnels are being dug there. A security barrier could help prevent unauthorized infiltrations and protect residents before it’s too late.”

A separate email mentioned “continuous drilling and digging from the direction of the village, day and night, including on Yom Kippur. It looks like something beyond simple housing construction, with a large pit being excavated and hidden by mounds of sand.”

Regavim says these are just a few of the many messages they have received but stressed that responsibility lies with Israel’s defense establishment and Yerushalayim’s municipal and national authorities. “They must open their eyes and ears to the sound of drilling and to the public’s cry for help before tragedy strikes,” the organization warned.

The IDF has not yet issued a response.

{Matzav.com}

Excitement in France, as Rosh Yeshiva HaGaon HaRav Moshe Hillel Hirsch stood to deliver remarks at the massive event marking 80 years since the founding of Yeshivas Chachmei Tzarfat.

More than 30 years after one of Panama’s deadliest terrorist attacks, authorities have arrested Ali Zaki Hage Jalil, a Venezuelan citizen of Lebanese descent accused of participating in the 1994 bombing of Alas Chiricanas Flight 901, which killed 21 people, including 12 members of Panama’s Jewish community. Hage Jalil was captured on Margarita Island in […]

Conservative firebrand Mark Levin unloaded on former Fox News colleague Tucker Carlson in a blistering on-air rant Friday, calling him a “Nazi promoter” and a “modern-day David Duke” after Carlson invited him to a public debate at an upcoming Turning Point USA event. Levin revealed the text exchange during The Mark Levin Show, reading what […]

It is with great sadness that Matzav.com reports the petirah of Rav Eliezer Meirovitz zt”l, one of the distinguished dayanim on the Vizhnitz beis din. He was 71.

Rav Meirovitz attended seudah shlishis and participated in the engagement celebration of the Rebbe’s grandson just last night. Earlier today, he underwent a medical procedure at Tel Aviv’s Ichilov Hospital, where he was suddenly niftar. The news of his sudden petirah has left thousands of Vizhnitzer chassidim in shock and grief.

Rav Meirovitz was born on Chol Hamoed Sukkos to his father, Rav Avrohom Chaim Meirovitz z”l of Williamsburg, one of the prominent chassidim of the Ahavas Yisroel and the Imrei Chaim, and to his mother, Mrs. Golda a”h.

From a young age, he studied in Vizhnitz institutions and became deeply attached to the Rebbes of the dynasty, the Imrei Chaim, the Yeshuos Moshe zt”l, and the present rebbe.

Upon reaching marriageable age, he married the daughter of Rav Yehuda Feder, one of the elder Vizhnitz chassidim, known as the owner of “Feder Matzayim,” who passed away during Sukkos 5777.

Rav Meirovitz was a close disciple of Rav Shmuel Wosner zt”l, from whom he received extensive halachic guidance and training. He was widely recognized as a talmid chochom of great stature and served with distinction on the Vizhnitzer beis din alongside Rav Yisroel Meir Stern and Rav Menachem Shlomo Klein.

Known for his sharp mind and profound yiras Shamayim, Rav Meirovitz regularly tested bochurim and avreichim of the chassidus in areas of halacha, including Hilchos Shabbos and issur v’heter, guiding them with patience and clarity.

He leaves behind sons, daughters, and grandchildren who follow in his path of Torah and avodah. His son, Rav Shmuel Meirovitz, serves as rosh yeshiva of Yeshivas Meor Vashemesh.

Yehi zichro boruch.

{Matzav.com}