Israeli soldiers operating inside the Gaza Strip were handed a casket by the Red Cross earlier today, believed to contain the body of an Israeli hostage killed in captivity.
According to military officials, the Red Cross obtained the casket from Hamas representatives in Gaza City before transferring it to the IDF for examination.
Upon receiving it, the IDF plans to conduct a thorough inspection to verify the contents before proceeding with a brief, dignified ceremony. A military rabbi will lead the service, during which the casket will be covered with an Israeli flag.
Following the ceremony, the remains will be transported to the Abu Kabir Forensic Institute in Tel Aviv, where specialists will work to formally confirm the identity of the deceased.
{Matzav.com}
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Last week, hundreds gathered to celebrate a true simchas haTorah at the Third Ateres Paz Gala Siyum Event by Mifal Shinun Vachazarah where 70 avreichim talmidei chachamim were crowned as Rabbanim and received their Semichah Certificates endorsing them as Morei Hora’ah in Klal Yisrael. The long-awaited event following years of rigorous study, review, and toiling in the tent of Torah in the course of which they completed one of the three Mifal Shinun Vachazarah specialized limud Hora’ah tracks in Choshen Mishpat and Yoreh Deah. The program encompasses challenging 3-year, 5-year and 7-year learning programs, complemented by comprehensive monthly and periodic cumulative oral and written tests. Toward the completion of the program, the avreichim were tested by Gedolei Yisrael shlit”a, Rabbanim and dayanim, who marveled both at the scope and depth of their knowledge and fluency in the material.
Founded eight years ago by Rav Dovid Shlesinger shlit”a, Mifal Shinun Vachazarah
enables hundreds of avreichim and talmidei chachamim to realize their goal of becoming Morei Hora’ah in Klal Yisrael by creating clear, comprehensive study programs and tracks that empower avreichim to reach specific goals in learning. With the goal of increasing Torah and hora’ah, the program also remunerates avreichim generously for their efforts in learning, encouraging them to work harder, invest greater energy and time in learning, and attain clear knowledge and understanding of the sugyos they learn. The Mesaymim number among over 1,000 avreichim who are tested on a monthly basis and receive generous stipends that incentivize their learning and success. Honoring the 70 Mesaymim, the Ateres Paz Event was attended by Gedolei Hador shlit”a and world-renowned marbitzei Torah who came to commend and bless the new Rabbanim upon their phenomenal efforts and achievements and take part in this special event which is a simchah for all of Klal Yisrael.
There is great relief and joy in the Toldos Aharon Yitzchak chassidic court this evening as the Toldos Avrohom Yitzchok Rebbe has been released from Hadassah Ein Kerem Hospital and has returned to his home in the Meah Shearim neighborhood.
The Rebbe’s condition has shown improvement, though he continues to require medical care and will be receiving treatment at home.
The news follows a wave of heartfelt tefillos from chassidim. On Tuesday night, a special atzaras tefillah was held in the Toldos Avrohom Yitzchak beis medrash, where the mashpia Rav Elimelech Biderman delivered words of chizuk. In the midst of the gathering, word spread that the Rebbe’s condition had improved and that doctors expected him to be discharged soon.
Earlier Wednesday, chassidim traveled to the tziyun of Rav Shimon bar Yochai in Meron, where they conducted heartfelt hakafos holding their lulavim from Sukkos as a segulah for refuah and yeshuah. The custom, mentioned in the Dovev Meisharim of the Beis Yosef, encourages performing hakafos with leftover mitzvah items as a source of brocha and salvation.
The public is asked to continue davening for Shmuel Yaakov ben Yenta.
{Matzav.com}
The Israel Defense Forces on Wednesday rejected claims that the remains of fallen IDF officer Hadar Goldin are being held in a tunnel in Rafah, dismissing the reports as inaccurate and damaging.
“These are false claims that cause harm to the family,” the IDF stated, emphasizing that it currently holds no verified intelligence suggesting that Goldin’s body is located in any tunnel where Hamas operatives are hiding.
The military called on the public to avoid spreading rumors or relying on unofficial reports. “The IDF urges the public to rely solely on announcements from official sources and to refrain from spreading unverified rumors, which harm the families of the hostages and the public. Efforts for the return of the deceased hostages are ongoing at all times,” the statement added.
The clarification came after Galei Tzahal earlier reported that Israeli officials had identified a tunnel in Rafah’s Janina neighborhood where Goldin’s body was allegedly being held, alongside about 150 Hamas terrorists. According to that report, Israel was said to have avoided striking the site—by air or ground—for fear of jeopardizing any possibility of recovering the remains.
At the same time, IDF Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir delivered a pointed message to Israel’s political leadership regarding the situation in Rafah. “No militant may be allowed to leave alive—unless the body of Hadar Goldin, of blessed memory, is returned,” Zamir declared, underscoring his uncompromising stance on retrieving the fallen soldier’s body.
Zamir’s sharp remarks were made amid reports that Israeli officials were debating whether to allow militants to retreat into Hamas-controlled areas under certain conditions. Those discussions were ultimately halted after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu decided against permitting the withdrawal, following strong opposition from right-wing leaders.
In the days that followed, Zamir reiterated his position, stressing to senior decision-makers that no evacuation of terrorists from Rafah should be considered unless it is directly tied to the repatriation of Lieutenant Hadar Goldin, who was killed during Operation Protective Edge in 2014 and whose body has remained in Hamas’s hands ever since.
{Matzav.com}Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey secured re-election Tuesday, fending off a strong challenge from Democratic Socialist Omar Fateh in a closely watched contest that mirrored ideological battles unfolding in other major cities.
The 44-year-old incumbent led the field with 41.8% of first-choice votes on election night, while Fateh, a 35-year-old Minnesota state senator known for his far-left platform, followed with 31.7%. Under Minneapolis’s ranked-choice voting system, Frey ultimately clinched victory after three rounds of tabulation on Wednesday, with Fateh finishing at 44.4%.
The city’s Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party (DFL) initially gave Fateh its endorsement at its July convention, marking a major boost for the progressive challenger, who became Minnesota’s first Somali American and Muslim state senator in 2021. However, the endorsement was later rescinded following a dispute over voting procedures, after Frey contested the process before the party’s Constitution, Bylaws & Rules Committee.
Frey first rose to national attention in 2020 during the unrest that swept Minneapolis after George Floyd’s death in police custody. Though he resisted demands to defund the police department, earning backlash from the city’s progressive bloc, Frey has often embraced liberal causes during his tenure.
At a March town hall with state Democratic leaders, including Rep. Ilhan Omar, Frey reaffirmed his stance on immigration policy. “I want all of you just to know exactly where we are as far as our neighbors go, Minneapolis will continue to be a safe haven for undocumented immigrants,” he said. Frey vowed that city police would not ask about residents’ immigration status or arrest individuals solely for being in the country illegally, even amid ongoing Trump administration enforcement efforts.
Frey also drew attention after the tragic mass shooting at Annunciation Catholic School in August, when a transgender assailant opened fire. Speaking shortly after the attack, he defended the transgender community against backlash. “I have heard about a whole lot of hate that’s being directed at our trans community,” Frey told reporters. “Anybody who is using this … as an opportunity to villainize our trans community, or any other community out there, has lost their sense of common humanity. We should not be operating out of a place of hate for anyone.”
Fateh, who like New York City’s Zohran Mamdani has championed a socialist vision for urban governance, campaigned on sweeping policy shifts. He pushed for higher minimum wages, expanded affordable housing, and the reallocation of police responsibilities to community-based alternatives.
In addition, Fateh pledged to notify illegal immigrants about impending ICE operations in the city, a proposal that echoed the far-left approach of Mamdani and other progressive figures.
A wide field of contenders rounded out the ballot, including Andrea Revel, Troy Peterson, Kevin Ward, Xavier Pauke, Adam Terzich, Kevin A. Dwire, Charlie McCloud, Alejandro Richardson, Laverne Turner, Jeffrey Wagner, DeWayne Davis, Jazz Hampton, and Brenda Short.
{Matzav.com}
New York City Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani fired back Wednesday at the Anti-Defamation League’s announcement that it would closely monitor his administration, dismissing the move while insisting that combating antisemitism remains a top priority for his incoming government.
Speaking to reporters one day after his election victory, Mamdani said he had not met with ADL CEO Jonathan Greenblatt but rejected suggestions that he is indifferent to Jewish concerns. “I take the issue of antisemitism incredibly seriously,” he said, emphasizing that his commitment to fighting hate was clearly stated in his post-election remarks.
“In my victory speech,” he noted, “I spoke about how my City Hall will stand steadfast with Jewish New Yorkers in fighting antisemitism across the city and making that clear in the actions that we deliver on January 1st.”
The mayor-elect went on to stress that his approach will be rooted in partnership with the city’s Jewish community. “I look forward to working with Jewish leaders across this city, whether they’re elected officials, rabbis, or community leaders, to deliver on the promise of not just protecting Jewish New Yorkers, but celebrating and cherishing them in the same city,” Mamdani said.
Asked about the ADL’s new monitoring project, Mamdani said the organization was free to review his policies, but questioned its fairness. “Anyone is free to catalogue my administration’s actions,” he remarked, “but I have doubts in Jonathan’s ability to do so honestly, given that he previously said that I had not visited any synagogues, only to have to correct himself.”
The ADL, meanwhile, defended its initiative as a necessary measure amid a sharp rise in antisemitic activity across New York. “Mayor-Elect Mamdani has promoted antisemitic narratives, associated with individuals who have a history of antisemitism, and demonstrated intense animosity toward the Jewish state,” Greenblatt said in a statement. “We are deeply concerned that those individuals and principles will influence his administration.”
As part of its campaign, the ADL announced a new citywide hotline for reporting antisemitic incidents, expanded research to identify municipal policies that may endanger Jewish communities, and the launch of a “Mamdani Monitor” to track City Hall’s actions. The group pointed to data showing 976 antisemitic incidents in New York City in 2024—the highest number nationwide—and warned that more than half of all hate crimes that year targeted Jews.
Greenblatt underscored that the effort was about transparency and vigilance, saying the ADL “will hold the Mamdani Administration accountable to this basic standard.”
{Matzav.com}
Chaos broke out in the Knesset on Wednesday when Deputy Knesset Speaker MK Yakov Margi erupted in anger after MK Samir Bin Said of the Ta’al party used his time at the podium to express support for Zohran Mamdani, the newly elected mayor of New York City known for his anti-Israel views.
Margi immediately intervened, demanding that Bin Said leave the stage. “Get off the podium, you insolent man,” Margi shouted, his voice echoing through the chamber as members of both sides shouted over one another.
He condemned Bin Said’s remarks, calling it disgraceful for a member of the Israeli parliament to endorse someone who has openly stood with Israel’s enemies. “A member of the Israeli Knesset stands here and congratulates an antisemitic terror supporter who can’t even bring himself to condemn the massacre and the murder of infants,” Margi fumed.
{Matzav.com}
