A storm has erupted across the chareidi community in the United States after a group of welathy donors announced a coordinated decision to withhold financial support from Torah institutions in Israel that publicly criticize the Israel Defense Forces.
The initiative, organized under the name “Coalition for Talmud Torah & Security,” has triggered intense backlash, particularly as yeshivos and kollelim in Israel face severe financial strain amid deep budget cuts and the ongoing draft crisis. The move has been described by critics as a serious blow to the Torah world at a moment of unprecedented vulnerability.
According to materials circulated by the coalition, the signatories framed their position as a response to what they described as a global escalation of threats against Jews. “The Jewish nation is under sustained attack from enemies of Hashem and His Torah who find common cause in harming His people. The battle against the Jews has been globalized. Intimidation and violence are now taking place across the streets of Europe and North America, and in other parts of the world, culminating most recently in the horrific massacre at Bondi Beach, Australia. Enemies of the Jewish people grow more vocal and emboldened by the day, and the illusion that any country is a safe haven for Jews is rapidly collapsing.”
The statement goes on to link the security of Jewish communities worldwide to the strength of the State of Israel. “The security of Israel has become a personal and critical matter. Developments worldwide indicate that our people’s future is increasingly tied to Eretz Yisrael, and that Jewish safety across the Diaspora depends on the strength of the Jewish state and its unique capacity to deter and respond to threats beyond its borders.”
Addressing the role of the military, the coalition wrote: “In these dangerous times, we feel the imperative, as servants of Hashem and lovers of His Torah, to stand as one and support our unified interests. The Israel Defense Forces (‘IDF’) bear responsibility for the physical protection of the Jewish people in the State of Israel. We support them and daven for their success, together with the broader security and intelligence apparatus that assists in safeguarding all Jewish life.”
At the same time, the group stressed that it does not view its position as a retreat from support for Torah learning. “Therefore, we make our position explicit. We remain wholly committed to the support of Torah, Yeshivos, Kollelim and Talmidei Chachamim — the very life force of our holy nation.”
However, the coalition drew a clear red line regarding public opposition to the military. “And because of that commitment to Toras Chaim, we cannot in good conscience support institutions whose public posture undermines those charged with defending Jewish life. Accordingly, we will only provide financial support to Torah institutions that do not publicly speak against, protest, or delegitimize the IDF while they bear the burden of defending Jewish lives. This policy will remain in effect until such positions are reconsidered in a manner consistent with the defense of Jewish life.”
Responding to criticism that the move interferes in the highly charged debate over conscription, the coalition insisted that it is not taking sides. “This stance takes no position on the current debate regarding the draft. It addresses only the propriety of public opposition to the IDF during an ongoing defense of Jewish life.”
The statement concludes with an appeal for unity, even as controversy continues to mount. “We state this position in unity and responsibility, confident that the strength of our people lies in the alignment of Torah, security and mutual commitment. Through achdus, may we merit the geulah sheleimah, b’karov.”
While several well-known philanthropists have reportedly declined to join the initiative and say they will continue supporting Torah institutions without conditions, the announcement has intensified concern that the Torah world — already under severe pressure — now faces a deepening internal rift alongside its external challenges.
{Matzav.com}
Former Israeli prime minister Naftali Bennett issued a sharply worded video statement on Tuesday, accusing advisers in the office of Prime Minister Bibi Netanyahu of deliberately carrying out actions that harmed Israel’s diplomatic and security interests during wartime.
Bennett said materials that have recently come to light indicate that Netanyahu’s advisers not only received payment from entities linked to Qatar, but also used their positions within the Prime Minister’s Office to undermine relations with Egypt, which he described as a country of strategic importance to Israel. He alleged that statements attributed to the advisers point to a calculated effort intended to advance the interests of Qatar and Hamas.
According to Bennett, the conduct in question constitutes a severe security offense carried out knowingly and with intent at a time of war. He stressed that Israeli criminal law addresses such actions explicitly, citing Section 121, which provides that anyone who deliberately sabotages Israel’s relations with another state may face a sentence of up to “life imprisonment.” Bennett said he believes this provision applies squarely to the current case and should guide both legal authorities and public discourse.
The former prime minister further argued that, now that the facts are publicly known, Netanyahu bears responsibility to immediately stop funding the legal defense of his advisers, to publicly condemn their actions, and to provide clear answers to Israeli citizens. He said the Prime Minister’s Office must be entirely free of interests tied to hostile states, adding that IDF soldiers and the public deserve absolute certainty on this matter.
Bennett concluded that the allegations raise fundamental questions of trust, accountability, and national security at a moment when Israel remains engaged on multiple fronts and public confidence in leadership is critical.
{Matzav.com}
Israel’s High Court of Justice instructed the state on Tuesday to submit an expedited response to a petition seeking the immediate suspension of billions of shekels earmarked for chareidi education.
Supreme Court Justice Yael Wilner ordered the state to respond by Wednesday morning to an application filed by opposition leader Yair Lapid and other lawmakers from his Yesh Atid party. The petition asks the court to freeze the transfer of approximately NIS 1.8 billion that was approved last week by the Knesset Finance Committee, most of it designated for chareidi institutions.
The funds, drawn from the state budget reserve, were approved on Thursday and allocated to chareidi education, religious education, settlement-related education, and various coalition agreements. Petitioners argue that the decision violates the law and budgetary procedures.
According to the breakdown approved by the committee, NIS 426 million was allocated to Chinuch Atzmai, NIS 360 million to the Maayan HaChinuch HaTorani network, and NIS 136 million to recognized and unrecognized chareidi educational institutions. An additional NIS 151 million was designated for chareidi talmudei Torah that are exempt from teaching core curriculum subjects. Another NIS 111 million was approved for the Administration for Settlement Education to implement political agreements, in line with demands by the Religious Zionism party.
Following the committee’s approval, Lapid and fellow Yesh Atid lawmakers filed their petition with the High Court, asserting that the transfer of funds was unlawful.
Reacting sharply, United Torah Judaism chairman Yitzchak Goldknopf accused Lapid of acting out of hostility toward the chareidi public.
“Yair Lapid once again proves that the only fuel driving him is hatred of chareidim,” Goldknopf said. “The petition to the High Court is yet another attempt to harm the basic rights of hundreds of thousands of parents and children whose only ‘crime’ is their desire to preserve their way of life and the tradition of their forefathers.”
Goldknopf stressed that the funds in question had passed all required professional and legal approvals and were intended to correct longstanding discrimination in the budgeting of exempt institutions and recognized but unofficial educational frameworks.
“We are confident that the court will reject this political attempt to interfere with legitimate budgetary decisions of the government,” he said. “We will continue to stand guard to ensure that every child in Israel receives what he deserves, without discrimination between sectors. We will not allow chareidi children in Israel to be turned into second-class citizens.”
{Matzav.com}
A sweeping federal review has found that billions of dollars in housing assistance were improperly distributed during the final year of the Biden administration, with payments going to tens of thousands of ineligible recipients, including people who were already deceased, the NY Post reports.
According to a report released by the US Department of Housing and Urban Development, auditors flagged $5.8 billion in “questionable” payments out of nearly $50 billion distributed through federal rental assistance programs in fiscal year 2024. The funds were paid out to public housing authorities, contractors, landlords, and other non-federal entities, according to the 183-page document.
Federal officials said the suspect payments were spread nationwide, with deceased recipients identified in every state. The highest concentrations of questionable disbursements were found in New York, California, and Washington, DC, which together accounted for a large share of the irregularities.
“A massive abuse of taxpayer dollars not only occurred under President Biden’s watch, but was effectively incentivized by his administration’s failure to implement strong financial controls resulting in billions worth of potential improper payments,” HUD Secretary Scott Turner said in a statement.
The audit found that more than 200,000 tenants were potentially ineligible for assistance, accounting for roughly 11% of the reviewed funds. Among them were 29,715 deceased individuals, 9,472 non-citizens, and 165,393 tenants whose rental subsidies exceeded eligibility limits for their local housing markets, particularly in cities such as New Orleans and other major metropolitan areas.
HUD programs are intended to help low-income individuals and families afford housing. Officials warned that misuse of funds could have deprived eligible households of assistance they urgently needed.
Investigators pointed to policy failures under the Biden administration, citing directives that emphasized rapid distribution of funds with limited oversight. The report also noted that HUD programs placed “substantial trust and responsibility in these non-federal entities … to accurately assess tenant eligibility,” creating opportunities for abuse.
“HUD will continue investigating the shocking results and will take appropriate action to hold bad actors accountable. Additionally, the Department is advancing efforts made under President Trump’s first administration to strengthen program integrity and ensure taxpayer-funded assistance serves the vulnerable communities it was intended for.”
HUD officials said the department will now contact housing authorities and other participating entities to verify the scope of the misconduct. Depending on the findings, HUD may pause or revoke funding and refer cases for criminal prosecution.
“HUD is implementing processes and procedures to revoke or pause funding as part of its efforts to hold bad actors accountable,” one official said. “Additionally, the Department could make criminal referrals and exercise other enforcement actions once it has confirmed fraud occurred.”
The audit reviewed spending between October 2023 and September 2024, during which HUD disbursed $33 billion through Tenant-Based Rental Assistance (TBRA) programs covering more than four million households, and $16 billion through Project-Based Rental Assistance (PBRA).
Of the TBRA funds, approximately $1.5 billion involved tenants flagged for eligibility concerns. PBRA programs showed even higher risk, with about $4.3 billion — or 26.4% of all PBRA payments — tied to recipients with unresolved eligibility issues.
HUD also reported that, working with the Department of Homeland Security, it identified “thousands” of non-citizens who were receiving Section 8 or Section 9 housing assistance despite not qualifying for those programs.
The financial review was described by HUD as part of an effort to fulfill President Trump’s pledges to improve “accountability and transparency” and to protect “taxpayer funds against waste, fraud and abuse.”
Concerns about HUD’s oversight are not new. An earlier audit by the department’s Office of Inspector General, conducted after large funding increases from Biden’s 2021 American Rescue Plan Act and President Trump’s 2020 CARES Act, found serious weaknesses in fraud prevention. That October 2022 review concluded that HUD “needed significant improvement” in its antifraud framework and that officials overseeing both PBRA and TBRA programs were not conducting meaningful risk assessments.
The audit also found that HUD “did not have a clear process in place for PHAs [Public Housing Authorities], PBCAs [Performance Based Contract Administrators], and grantees to report instances of known or suspected fraud to HUD and HUD’s Office of Inspector General (OIG).”
In one high-profile case highlighting those risks, federal prosecutors in the Southern District of New York charged 70 current and former employees of the New York City Housing Authority by February 2024. The charges stemmed from a decade-long bribery scheme involving cash kickbacks from contractors.
US Attorney Damian Williams described the crackdown as “the largest single-day bribery takedown in the history of the Justice Department,” saying the scheme involved up to $2 million in corrupt payments and $13 million in no-bid contracts.
NYCHA, the largest housing authority in the country, serves more than 500,000 residents and received $3.86 billion in HUD funding in 2023. A March 2025 HUD OIG audit warned that funds flowing to the agency were at “greater risk of fraud” due to insufficient safeguards and unclear guidance.
“NYCHA partners with law enforcement to root out the corruption that directly led to the 2024 arrests,” a spokesperson for the housing authority said in a statement.
“Each of the 70 cases brought by DOI has led to a conviction, and all of the defendants have separated from employment. NYCHA has implemented all recommendations, while rebuilding its operations and procurement processes.”
{Matzav.com}
Yesh Atid announced on Tuesday that it has turned to Israel’s Supreme Court seeking immediate intervention over the transfer of more than one billion shekels approved by the Knesset Finance Committee for haredi educational institutions.
In its filing, the party claimed the allocations were carried out in violation of the law, asserting that the recipient institutions neither teach core curriculum subjects nor operate under required state supervision, and that the funding move sidestepped established budgetary limits and procedures.
The petition was submitted by attorneys Oded Gazit and Eliram Bakal of the Gazit-Bakal law firm, who contended that “the Finance Committee abused its authority and transferred funds unlawfully to institutions that do not meet the educational criteria required by law, rendering the transfers null and void.”
Opposition leader Yair Lapid, along with fellow Yesh Atid lawmakers Vladimir Beliak, Moshe Turpaz, and Naor Shiri, said the legal action is part of a broader campaign against the current coalition, declaring that “the petition joins a prolonged struggle against a rotten, corrupt, and wasteful government that disregards Israel’s citizens and treats our money as a bargaining chip and political bribe to solve coalition problems.”
Yesh Atid further argued that the funding benefits “institutions that do not prepare Haredi children for modern life,” adding that the transfers were approved in a manner designed to obscure them from public scrutiny, saying that “the funds are being transferred while attempting to conceal the transfers from the public.”
{Matzav.com}
