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Following his return from a fundraising trip to the United States on behalf of Keren Olam HaTorah, Rav Dov Landau, Rosh Yeshiva of Slabodka, received a visit at his home from the leadership of Yeshivas Mir. The delegation included Mir Rosh Yeshiva Rav Eliezer Yehuda Finkel and the mashgiach, Rav Binyomin Finkel, who came to express their appreciation for Rav Landau’s extraordinary efforts on behalf of the olam haTorah.

During the conversation, Rav Landau also spoke forcefully about members of the Religious Zionist community whom he said advocate military service and place the interests of the state above Torah values.

The following is a transcript of the exchange:

Rav Eliezer Yehuda Finkel: “We came simply to thank the Rosh Yeshiva for his tremendous mesirus nefesh on behalf of the olam haTorah and for our yeshiva.”

Rav Landau: “Yasher koach.”

Rav Eliezer Yehuda Finkel: “Yasher koach to you.”

Rav Binyomin Finkel: “It strengthens all of us. It obligates us…”

Rav Landau: “I didn’t come to strengthen you. I came so that you would have money to pay.”

Rav Eliezer Yehuda Finkel: “That is our responsibility, and it obligates everyone.”

Rav Landau: “Hashem should help that we won’t have to travel again.”

Rav Eliezer Yehuda Finkel: “Amen. May Hashem grant the Rosh Yeshiva strength for many years.”

Rav Landau: “I’m not becoming any younger…”

Rav Eliezer Yehuda Finkel: “It’s incredible—the level of mesirus nefesh.”

Rav Landau: “It’s true that it is very difficult, but there is no other choice.”

Rav Binyomin Finkel: “But even amid all these gezeiros, we see rachamim. We see Yidden opening their hearts. That gives us some encouragement.”

Rav Landau: “From America?”

Rav Binyomin Finkel: “Yes.”

Rav Landau: “Why shouldn’t it be that way? The gezeiros come from someone else. The wicked people are here. What can be done? There are wicked people… and among those who wear kippot serugot, no less.

“I’m referring to those with kippot serugot who insist that people must go [to the army]. If the state… I would ask them, according to their own approach—although they don’t really have any consistent approach, according to their foolishness—if the state sends soldiers to fight merely for the honor of the state, and people are killed, is that also permitted? That is actual murder.

“So they are inciting murder. That is what they are doing. They wage wars not only for the sake of saving lives, but also for the honor of the state.”

Rav Binyomin Finkel: “It’s frightening.”

Rav Landau: “Certainly. This is nothing new. So is that permitted?”

Rav Eliezer Yehuda Finkel: “Hashem yishmor.”

Rav Landau: “They act for the honor of the state, making it into a supreme value—or something of that sort.”

Rav Binyomin Finkel: “But what should we daven for? That they should do teshuvah?”

Rav Landau: “I only mentioned that as a side point, but…”

Rav Binyomin Finkel: “Yes, yes. So should we daven that they do teshuvah? Regarding those who inform on others, what should we have in mind?”

Rav Landau: “I don’t know. It will be good—I don’t know. We should ask Hashem that things should be good. We are not going to give Him advice. It will be good.

“This is a difficult and very serious situation. Hashem should help through our tefillos. There are all kinds of ideas, all kinds of suggestions, all kinds of implications, as people say—but I don’t know. The situation… We should daven to the Ribbono Shel Olam that everything should pass like a dream, be blown away like the wind, and disappear like a vanishing cloud.”

The Roshei Yeshiva: “Amen, Amen.”

Rav Eliezer Yehuda Finkel: “The yeshiva accepted the strengthening of a taanis dibbur. Boruch Hashem, it has had a tremendous impact.”

Rav Landau: “Really?”

Rav Eliezer Yehuda Finkel: “Yes.”

Rav Landau: “Wonderful, wonderful. Ashreichem. That is something truly great.”

{Matzav.com}

A tish led by the Ashlag Rebbe, author of Bnei Heichala, was violently disrupted on Friday night after a group of youths allegedly hurled stones at the bais medrash, shattering windows while the building was filled with mispallelim.

The incident occurred at the Ashlag–Bnei Heichala bais medrash in Bnei Brak, where chassidim had gathered around the Rebbe for the Friday night tish. As the chassidim sang zemiros and words of hisorerus were being shared, loud crashing sounds were suddenly heard from outside.

According to eyewitnesses, a group of youths began throwing stones at the building. Several of the rocks smashed through the windows, sending shards of glass flying and forcing those inside to move away from the affected area out of concern for their safety.

Although no injuries were reported, mispallelim said the incident could easily have ended in tragedy, given that the stones were thrown while the bais medrash was occupied.

For residents of the neighborhood, the troubling question was not merely how the incident ended without injuries, but how such an attack was able to occur in the first place.

The latest incident has once again highlighted what many Bnei Brak residents describe as a growing problem involving groups of at-risk youths who roam the city’s streets, allegedly engaging in harassment, threats, vandalism, fights, and at times physical violence.

Several months ago, Bnei Brak Mayor Chanoch Zeibert convened a special meeting following a series of violent Shabbos incidents that were attributed to fringe youth. The meeting included representatives from the municipality, welfare services, municipal enforcement, police, and public security agencies. Following the meeting, the city announced plans to increase police visibility, expand security patrols, and strengthen operations at the municipal emergency center.

City officials also said that additional patrols would operate on Shabbos through non-Jewish personnel in accordance with the guidance of the city’s rabbanim. Police, for their part, pledged a policy of “zero tolerance” toward violence and threats to public safety.

Following a series of fatal shootings involving U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers, the agency will soon require officers conducting vehicle stops to wear at least one body camera, Trump administration border czar Tom Homan announced Sunday as ICE moves to increase transparency during enforcement operations.

“They exonerate more law enforcement than they convict, and I want officers to wear body cameras because I want the American people to see what the officers saw when ⁠they took that action,” Homan said during an appearance on Fox News’ “Fox & Friends Weekend.”

The announcement follows two deadly traffic-stop incidents earlier this month involving ICE agents. Federal officers fatally shot two men in separate encounters just six days apart—one in Texas and the other in Maine. Neither incident was captured by ICE body cameras because the agents involved were not equipped with them.

Speaking separately on CBS’ “Face the Nation,” Homan explained that the nationwide rollout of body cameras had been delayed after funding became tied up during the partial federal government shutdown earlier this year.

“The cameras have been purchased right now,” Homan said. “They’re training the trainer in deploying the cameras nationwide.”

The issue has drawn renewed attention after an ICE officer fatally shot a Colombian driver on July 13 during a traffic stop in Biddeford, Maine, roughly 15 miles south of Portland. Less than a week earlier, another ICE officer fatally shot a Mexican national during a vehicle stop in Houston.

In response to those incidents, Homan announced last week that ICE would temporarily halt most vehicle stops nationwide while the agency reviewed its procedures. However, within 24 hours of that announcement, President Donald Trump directed federal immigration officers to resume conducting the stops.

The two fatal shootings prompted demonstrations in Maine, Houston, and Boston, with critics questioning why ICE officers involved in such encounters were not equipped with body cameras.

ICE first introduced a pilot body-camera program in 2024, distributing cameras to officers in Baltimore, Buffalo, Detroit, Philadelphia, and Washington, D.C. Last year, however, the Trump administration sought to slow the program’s expansion by asking Congress to reduce its funding by 75%, according to a Reuters report published in January.

In February, following the deaths of two U.S. citizens during an immigration enforcement operation in Minnesota, then-Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem announced that ICE body cameras would eventually be deployed nationwide “as funding is available.”

Since January 2025, when President Trump launched his mass deportation initiative after returning to the White House on promises of tougher immigration enforcement, at least seven people have been killed during federal immigration enforcement operations.

{Matzav.com}

Israelis planning vacations or business trips to Europe in 2026 will not have to worry—at least for now—about obtaining a new pre-travel authorization before departure.

The European Union has once again postponed the launch of its European Travel Information and Authorization System (ETIAS), which was expected to require travelers from visa-exempt countries, including Israel, to obtain paid online approval before entering much of Europe. According to current reports, the system is now expected to begin operating sometime in 2027.

Although multiple reports have indicated another delay, the European Commission has not yet announced an official new launch date. References to a late-2026 rollout have already been removed from some EU information pages, while others still display the previous timeline, leaving the official implementation date uncertain.

Once ETIAS becomes operational, travelers from visa-exempt countries—including Israel—will be required to obtain online travel authorization before boarding flights to 30 European countries.

The requirement will apply to travel to countries including France, Italy, Spain, Germany, Greece, Portugal, the Netherlands, Austria, Poland, the Czech Republic, Croatia, Bulgaria, Romania, and Cyprus. It will also cover Switzerland, Norway, Iceland, and Liechtenstein. Ireland will remain outside the ETIAS system.

The latest postponement is reportedly tied to ongoing problems with the European Union’s Entry/Exit System (EES), the new biometric border management platform on which ETIAS depends.

Although the EES entered full operation in April 2026, reports indicate that it has experienced technological issues, congestion at border crossings, staffing shortages, and infrastructure challenges, forcing officials to delay the launch of ETIAS once again.

When the system eventually takes effect, travelers will be required to complete an online application providing personal information, passport details, and answers to security-related questions.

The authorization will cost €20 and will remain valid for three years or until the traveler’s passport expires, whichever comes first. Travelers under the age of 18 and those 70 and older will be exempt from the fee but will still be required to obtain travel authorization before entering participating countries.

For now, however, nothing changes for travelers.

The ETIAS system is not yet operational, applications cannot be submitted, and no fee is currently required. European Union officials have emphasized that the public will receive an official announcement several months before the system is activated. They also warned that any website currently claiming to issue valid ETIAS authorizations is not providing legitimate travel approval.

{Matzav.com}

President Donald Trump declared Sunday that American forces struck Iran “very hard” once again, as U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) confirmed it carried out military operations against the Islamic Republic for a ninth consecutive night.

Speaking to reporters after attending the FIFA World Cup final, Trump said Iran’s military capabilities have been devastated by the sustained U.S. campaign.

“Iran has been very, very badly damaged. They’ve lost everything, almost, militarily. They’ve got very little left. They’ve got some missiles. They’ve got some drones. They’ve got some manufacturing ability, not much.”

.@POTUS Trump on Iran: "We hit them very hard again tonight, and we did that in honor of the probably three great patriots."

"Those great patriots were out there fighting [so] that Iran cannot have a nuclear weapon."

"Iran has been very, very badly damaged. They've lost… pic.twitter.com/2nRlpujF0V

— Israel War Room (@IsraelWarRoom) July 20, 2026

Trump also asserted that the United States now controls one of the world’s most strategically important waterways.

“We control the strait. They don’t control anything. So, we’ll see what happens.”

The president added that Sunday’s strikes were carried out in honor of the American service members who were killed over the weekend.

“But we hit them very hard again tonight. And we did that in honor of the probably three – it’s probably three, as opposed to two – great patriots”, referring to US troops who were killed over the weekend.

Vice President JD Vance and his wife, Usha Vance, have welcomed their fourth child, a baby boy, in what is believed to be the first birth to a sitting U.S. vice president in more than 150 years.

Vance shared the news today on social media, announcing that the couple’s son, Alec Neel Vance, was born this morning.

“Usha and the baby are happy and healthy, and our kids are overjoyed to meet their little brother,” he wrote, while also expressing gratitude to the doctors, nurses, and staff at Walter Reed Medical Center for the care they provided.

According to the Associated Press, no sitting vice president has welcomed a child while in office in more than a century and a half.

The newest addition joins the couple’s three older children: Ewan, 9, Vivek, 6, and Mirabel, 4.

Usha Vance, whose maiden name is Chilukuri, grew up in the working-class suburbs of San Diego, California. Her father is a mechanical engineer, and her mother is a molecular biologist. Both immigrated to the United States from Andhra Pradesh, India.

She met JD Vance in 2010 while the two were students at Yale Law School. Their relationship began after they participated together in a discussion group focused on “social decline in white America.”

The couple has frequently appeared together at official White House events, including a reception honoring military mothers earlier this year.

Throughout his time in national politics, Vance has been among the Trump administration’s strongest advocates for encouraging larger families and increasing the nation’s birth rate.

In his recently released book, Vance revealed that Usha had initially been hesitant about having a fourth child. He wrote that her outlook changed following the death of conservative commentator Charlie Kirk last year.

“Not long after we buried my friend, she became pregnant with our fourth child, a boy,” he wrote. “One life was stolen from us, but another was given.”