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MK Moshe Gafni, chairman of Degel HaTorah, voiced sharp anger following the Israeli High Court of Justice’s decision to issue an interim order freezing funding for chareidi education, warning that the move could set a precedent leading to a complete halt of education budgets for the chareidi sector.

Senior figures in the chareidi parties fear that the interim injunction could pave the way for a broader and permanent suspension of funding, as additional petitions concerning chareidi education remain pending before the court.

According to sources familiar with the discussions, Gafni spoke harshly in closed conversations overnight, saying: “I don’t remember a time this bad for the chareidi public. The wickedness of the judges has crossed all limits.”

He went on to issue a veiled threat, adding: “The judges have declared war on us, and they’re not hiding it. We cannot continue like this. We will consider responding with war.”

Meanwhile, Shas chairman Aryeh Deri also expressed fury over the court’s decision and the response — or lack thereof — from coalition partners. In private conversations, Deri sharply criticized Religious Zionism leader Bezalel Smotrich, National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir, and the Likud for remaining silent following the ruling.

Deri held a tense conversation with Prime Minister Bibi Netanyahu, during which he expressed deep disappointment at what he described as the coalition’s indifference to the freezing of Torah education budgets.

“It’s being treated as if this were a climate budget or beach cleanup funding,” Deri said in closed talks. “The coalition partners must understand clearly: Jewish identity is the foundation of this government. Without the education of Toras Yisroel, even the struggle for Eretz Yisroel will not succeed.”

Deri added that the silence from most government ministers comes against the backdrop of preparations for elections expected to take place later this year. “The cracks and gaps within the coalition are beginning to widen,” he warned.

The High Court issued the interim order on Wednesday evening, freezing the transfer of approximately one billion shekels to chareidi educational institutions, following a petition filed by Yesh Atid. The ruling effectively halts funding for chareidi education pending further review.

In the decision, Justice Yael Wilner wrote: “After reviewing the request for an interim injunction, the responses, and the petitioners’ reply, an interim order is hereby issued, according to which no financial transfers shall be made pursuant to the decisions of the Finance Committee under discussion in the petition, until a further decision is made.”

Yesh Atid officials said they do not intend to settle for the existing injunction and plan to demand an expanded remedy that would require chareidi teachers to return funds already received to the state treasury, noting that some of the money covered by the interim order had already been transferred before the freeze took effect.

{Matzav.com}

New York Gov. Kathy Hochul has proposed eliminating state income taxes on tips, following backlash from service-industry workers. Her plan would remove New York state income tax on up to $25,000 in tipped earnings, aligning with President Trump’s move to end federal taxes on tips.

Firefighters rescued an elderly person trapped in a vehicle during flooding near the Tzofim crossing in Samaria, using a specialized flotation vest to safely carry out the rescue.

Questions about President Trump’s health resurfaced this week following a wide-ranging interview in which he pushed back sharply against renewed scrutiny and insisted there is nothing wrong with him.

“Let’s talk about health again for the 25th time,” Trump said at the outset of the conversation, according to the Wall Street Journal. “My health is perfect.”

Speculation about the president’s physical condition has circulated throughout the first year of his second term, fueled largely by photographs showing dark bruising on his hands. The White House has previously attributed the marks to frequent and forceful handshaking, along with Trump’s long-standing use of aspirin.

Addressing the issue directly, Trump said the bruising stems from taking more aspirin than his doctors advise, a routine he said he has followed for decades. He explained that he has done so for 25 years because “I’m a little superstitious.”

The president also expressed regret over undergoing an MRI during a medical checkup in October at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center, saying the test itself sparked unnecessary speculation. “I would have been a lot better off if they didn’t, because the fact that I took it said, ‘Oh gee, is something wrong?’” Trump said. “Well, nothing’s wrong.”

In July, the White House disclosed that Trump had been diagnosed with chronic venous insufficiency, a circulation condition that has caused swelling in his lower legs. Trump confirmed that he briefly tried wearing compression socks as part of the treatment but abandoned them, saying, “I didn’t like them.”

At 79, Trump is already among the oldest individuals to serve as president. If he completes his term, he would leave office as the oldest man ever to hold the position, edging past the mark set by Joe Biden, who dropped out of his reelection campaign amid mounting concerns over cognitive decline.

{Matzav.com}

Motorcade of Prime Minister Netanyahu Bibi’s seen on Wednesday heading northbound on the Turnpike in Florida, following hisbevent at Bal Harbor.

Zaka departing Ben Gurion Airport to Switzerland following the devastating fire.

Polish police have recovered a collection of rare Hebrew and Yiddish seforim dating back to the early 20th century after the volumes surfaced unexpectedly in an online auction, authorities announced this week.

The seforim, which belonged to the Jewish Historical Institute Library and the Jewish community of Warsaw, were identified when an employee of the institute noticed them listed for sale on Polish auction websites. The discovery was reported to police, triggering a coordinated investigation.

According to police, the seforim came to light in early October when a 39-year-old Warsaw resident was clearing out the belongings of his late father. Among the items he found were several old seforim with original bindings, written in foreign languages. Unaware of their historical significance, the man decided to sell them through online marketplaces.

“The response was quick. The seforim were purchased by a private collector,” said junior sergeant Paweł Czemura of the Warsaw Police Headquarters in a statement.

Once alerted, officers from the Warsaw Police worked together with police from Białystok to trace the seforim and identify the collector, who specializes in acquiring antique volumes. The collector cooperated with authorities, and the entire collection was recovered.

“All of the volumes were returned to the institutions that are their rightful owners,” Czemura said. He added that the seforim were likely lost during the early 1980s or 1990s and that their authenticity was confirmed by a specialist in the field. The seforim are estimated to be worth thousands of shekels.

Meir Bulka, a Poland researcher and chairman of J-nerations, an organization dedicated to preserving Jewish heritage in Europe, commented on the case, calling it part of a broader and troubling pattern.

“Unfortunately, this is a well-known phenomenon,” Bulka said. “Many Poles return Jewish property without understanding its meaning. Sadly, this property will not return to its original owners, but will once again circulate among Jewish communities, which have only recently come to realize that their connection to Jewish heritage is often merely incidental.”

Police emphasized that no criminal charges have been filed, noting that the seforim were sold without malicious intent. The investigation focused on recovering the cultural property and restoring it to its historical custodians.

{Matzav.com}

President Donald Trump defended his energy and health in an interview with The Wall Street Journal and disclosed that he had a CT scan, not an MRI scan, during an October examination about which he and the White House delayed offering details. Trump, in the interview, said he regretted undergoing the advanced imaging on his […]

California’s mounting fiscal troubles and governance failures are eroding public trust, Rep. Kevin Kiley said during a recent television appearance, arguing that taxpayers are paying more while receiving less in return.

Appearing on Carl Higbie FRONTLINE on Newsmax, Kiley said the state has become a magnet for fraud and mismanagement, with losses stretching into the tens of billions of dollars and little accountability to show for it.

As one example, Kiley pointed to a June report on California’s community college system that found more than one-third of applications were fraudulent. He said the scheme drained over $10 million in federal financial aid, along with millions more from state coffers.

According to Kiley, those losses do not simply disappear. “The taxpayers are losing, and the money doesn’t vanish, it ends up in the hands of fraudsters,” Kiley said, tying the problem to organized criminal activity.

He cited pandemic-era unemployment fraud as a stark illustration, estimating losses of at least $32 billion, much of it connected to criminal networks that exploited weak oversight.

Kiley also criticized California’s tax burden, arguing that residents continue to shoulder higher taxes even as basic public services and infrastructure fail to materialize.

He highlighted the state’s long-planned high-speed rail project as a symbol of dysfunction, noting that nearly two decades after it was launched and after tens of billions of dollars have been spent, no passenger rail line has been completed.

The congressman said projected costs for the rail system have exploded far beyond early estimates, now exceeding $100 billion, and referenced media reports questioning whether the project will even be finished within this century.

Turning to San Francisco, Kiley faulted city leaders for entertaining a reparations program despite facing deep budget deficits, arguing that the city cannot afford such a proposal while struggling to meet existing financial obligations.

Taken together, Kiley said, these examples reflect a broader breakdown in how California is governed, warning that taxpayer frustration is intensifying as fraud, cost overruns, and stalled projects continue without meaningful consequences.

{Matzav.com}

The newly unveiled statue of Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi in Ardabil, northwest Iran, was toppled just days after it was installed.

The streets of Nahavand in western Iran have turned into a battlefield, as pro-regime Iranians fighting alongside security forces clash with anti-government protesters.

Zohran Mamdani announced the appointment of a new Department of Transportation commissioner during his speech last night after being sworn in as mayor.

Dear Matzav Inbox,

Every year, our community celebrates thousands of chasunos. Baruch Hashem, it’s a simcha — or at least it’s supposed to be. But right after the music stops and the sheva brachos end, reality hits hard: Where are these young couples eventually supposed to live?

This is not a “housing demand” problem. Demand is obvious. Demand is predictable. Demand is built into the very fabric of a growing frum community. We know exactly how many couples are getting married every year. This didn’t sneak up on us.

The problem is supply. The problem is affordability. And the problem is that we are thinking far too small and moving far too slowly.

One lakefront project here, one glossy brochure there — and everyone pats themselves on the back as if the crisis has been “addressed.” It hasn’t. Not even close.

If a single development adds a few hundred units, but the community is growing by thousands of families every year, what exactly do we think is happening? Basic math isn’t anti-frum. It’s reality. If we need housing for 2,000–3,000 new families annually and we build housing for 300, we aren’t solving a problem. We’re falling further behind.

And affordability? Let’s be honest. “Affordable” has become a word we throw around without meaning it. When starter homes are pushing $600,000, $700,000, or more — before renovations, before furniture, before property taxes — that is not affordable for a family, even with help. Especially not in a community where tuition, groceries, health insurance, and basic living costs are already crushing.

There is no affordable place to buy. Not even for a young working couple. Not for people doing everything “right” and still watching the numbers laugh at them.

People say, “They’ll manage.” No, they’re breaking. Parents are draining retirement. Couples are living in impossible situations. Families are packing into apartments and pretending it’s temporary, while knowing deep down it isn’t.

And here’s the part we don’t like to say out loud: If we don’t create real, large-scale, affordable housing — not one project, not two, but ten or more — we will have a real problem.

This isn’t about luxury. It’s not about waterfront views or fancy amenities. It’s about roofs. It’s about dignity.

We need bold thinking. We need speed. We need leadership willing to say, “This is an emergency,” and act like it.

If we keep congratulating ourselves for baby steps while the problem grows by the year, we will look back and wonder how we let it get this bad.

The housing crisis isn’t theoretical. It’s here. And if we don’t start thinking bigger and faster — much bigger, much faster — it’s only going to get worse. Far worse.

N. G.

New York

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{Matzav.com}

Several people were killed in clashes between protesters and Iranian security forces near the governor’s building in Lordegan, according to the IRGC-affiliated Fars News Agency.

WATCH: Protesters set an Iranian security forces vehicle on fire in Marvdasht, southern Iran.

Iranian security forces opened fire with live ammunition on protesters in the southern city of Marvdasht.

President Donald Trump signed a New Year’s Eve proclamation delaying increased tariffs on upholstered furniture, kitchen cabinets and vanities for a year, citing ongoing trade talks. Trump’s order signed Wednesday keeps in place a 25% tariff he imposed in September on those goods, but delays for another year a 30% tariff on upholstered furniture and […]

For many Holocaust survivors, the past is never far away, but neither is extraordinary resilience. Every survivor carries a story of survival and, just as powerfully, a story of rebuilding a life against impossible odds. At the Jewish Community Council of Greater Coney Island, JCCGCI, it is a profound privilege, and responsibility to walk alongside […]

Public anxiety over reports of a so-called “super flu” is misplaced, according to Florida internist Dr. Frank Contacessa, who said the label has no grounding in medicine and should not alarm the public.

Speaking Wednesday to Newsmax, Contacessa urged calm and stressed that, despite a rise in cases, this year’s influenza is not proving more dangerous than what doctors see most winters. “The symptoms are not more severe, it’s not more life-threatening,” Contacessa said. “People should not be nervous. It’s a typical flu season so far.”

Contacessa rejected the terminology fueling concern. “This really is a sensationalized term,” he said during an appearance on The Record With Greta Van Susteren. “This is not a medical term.” He continued, “The super flu does not exist in medicine. This is being used to describe the rapidity of onset of symptoms with this particular strain and the speed that it’s spread across the country.”

According to the physician, the current strain’s defining feature is how quickly symptoms can escalate, not their severity. “People typically go from, ‘I feel fine’ to ‘I think I’m coming down with something’ to ‘I can’t move out of bed within a matter of a few hours,’” Contacessa said. Common signs include a high temperature, sore throat, fever, aches, and chills.

While recommending basic precautions, Contacessa emphasized simple prevention over panic. “Keep your hands clean and keep yourself healthy,” he said.

He also raised doubts about the effectiveness of this year’s flu vaccine, describing forecasting challenges that affect its performance. “It’s a very difficult thing to predict, and they’re not very good at it,” Contacessa said. “On a good year, it’s maybe 30 or 40% effective and in a bad year, it’s single digit effective. It looks like this is going to be a bad year, because this particular strain is different from what they put into the formulation.”

Given that outlook, Contacessa said he is not broadly encouraging vaccination among his patients and does not get the shot himself. “Maybe you could make a case for an older person or somebody who has [been] immunocompromised, but for a younger, healthier person, I really don’t push it,” he said.

{Matzav.com}

Nick Shirley, a 23-year-old independent journalist, has exposed massive fraud in Minnesota daycare funding and sparked a federal response that froze $185 million overnight. The PBD Podcast speaks to Shirley in the following videos:

WATCH:






{Matzav.com}