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Thirty hours old.

That’s how old Chaya’s baby was when they wheeled him into open-heart surgery for the first time.

Thirty hours. Most babies that age are still figuring out how to latch. Her baby was fighting for every breath.

She remembers the weight of him—all six pounds—as they took him from her arms. She remembers the tubes invading his tiny body, machines breathing for him because his own heart couldn’t do the job it was created to do. She remembers medical words she couldn’t pronounce: Tetralogy of Fallot with pulmonary atresia.

She remembers thinking: This cannot be how his story ends.

Not one, but four surgeries. Four times they opened his chest. Four times they stopped his heart to fix it. Four times she sat in a waiting room, bargaining with Hashem, making promises she didn’t know if she could keep.

That’s the chapter families never plan to write. Kapitel Lev.

The chapter where your entire world shrinks to the size of a heartbeat. Where you learn to read monitors before you learn your baby’s smile. Where “making it through the night” isn’t a figure of speech—it’s a prayer you whisper every single hour.

And in those moments—when you’re more alone than you’ve ever been, surrounded by machines and strangers in a hospital 100 miles from home—Yameitz Libecha walks in and says: You’re not doing this alone.

They’re there in the NICU at 2 AM. They’re fighting with insurance companies for treatments that cost more than most people’s homes. They’re finding the one surgeon in Boston who can do the impossible surgery everyone else said couldn’t be done. They’re delivering hot meals. Arranging Shabbos. Holding your hand. Holding your family together.

They’re the promise Chaya made twenty-two years ago, come to life.

That baby who was thirty hours old when his heart was first opened? He’s 22 now. Thriving. Living. Beating the odds.

Because someone refused to let his story end.

Every tiny heart deserves a fighting chance.

Will you help write the next chapter?

Yameitz Libecha needs your donation to continue helping those families

Click HERE to donate!

In a major legal reversal, the Supreme Court ruled in a majority opinion on Tuesday that the government is not required to hold a competitive selection process for the appointment of the Civil Service Commissioner. The renewed hearing was held before a five-judge panel. Three justices, Deputy President Noam Sohlberg, David Mintz, and Yael Willner, […]

BREAKING: Rahmanullah Lakanwal, Afghan national accused of shooting two National Guard members in Washington, DC, pleads not guilty, government signals pursuit of death penalty.

Dozens of Rabbanim and Roshei Yeshivos of Dati Leumi yeshivos convened this week for an emergency discussion in wake of the IDF’s intention to advance a pilot program to integrate women into the front-line combat units of the Armored Corps’s tank crews, Arutz Sheva reported. During the meeting, testimonies were presented by religious soldiers who […]

A fuel-carrying train derailed and exploded earlier today in Russia’s Tambov Oblast.

A central segment of the long-awaited upgrade to Route 60, the main artery linking Gush Etzion with Yerushalayim, has opened to traffic eight months earlier than planned, a move expected to significantly ease chronic congestion along the heavily traveled corridor.

The project, led by Israel’s Ministry of Transport and carried out by the state infrastructure company Moriah, is advancing at an accelerated pace. Additional sections of the road are scheduled to open over the coming weeks, further improving traffic flow and driving safety in the area.

Route 60, which serves as a sensitive and vital gateway into and out of Yerushalayim, is undergoing a comprehensive overhaul as part of the project. The road is being expanded from a single lane in each direction into a divided highway with two lanes each way. The upgrade is designed to accommodate growing traffic volumes, enhance safety standards, and substantially reduce travel times for commuters and residents.

At this stage, the stretch between Husan and the Shayarot Junction has been completed and opened to traffic, featuring two lanes in each direction. Officials say the opening of this segment has already led to noticeable improvements, including smoother traffic flow, reduced bottlenecks, and a higher level of road safety. Remaining segments of the project are expected to be opened gradually over the next two weeks.

Later this year, an interchange at the Shayarot Junction area is slated to open, including new underground passages. This phase is expected to complete the transportation upgrade along the route and allow for continuous, safer, and more convenient travel.

Once the project is fully completed, residents of Gush Etzion and surrounding communities—including Efrat, Kiryat Arba, and nearby localities—are expected to benefit from a modernized and safer roadway, offering a faster and more reliable connection to Yerushalayim and better suited to the region’s growing transportation needs.

{Matzav.com}

Tom Homan: “President Trump and I would like to thank the men and women of ICE, Border Patrol, and other federal agencies on the ground here for your dedication to the oath you swore… I know the tragedies you’ve seen. The President is with you.”

Tom Homan: “During our efforts to identify and implement improvements of how operations are planned, conducted, and managed, we identified a gap in regard to the use of body-worn cameras… that inconsistency was unacceptable, so we moved immediately to prioritize full body cam deployment in this city.”

Tom Homan: “I have announced effective immediately, we will draw down 700 people effective today. 700 law enforcement personnel.”

Tom Homan: “If you are in the country illegally, you are not off the table”

Tom Homan: “More officers taking custody of criminal aliens directly from the jails means less officers on the street doing criminal operations… It’s safer for the community, safer for the officers, and safer for the alien.”

Rudy Giuliani said Tuesday that New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s political worldview and alleged sympathy for Islamic extremism explain the decision to roll back a long-standing policy aimed at protecting homeless individuals during dangerously cold weather.

Appearing on Newsmax’s “Ed Henry The Big Take,” Giuliani sharply criticized Mamdani’s beliefs, arguing they reflect an indifference to human life. “Communists have no regard for human life,” Giuliani said.

“Neither do Islamic extremist supporters. He’s both — he’s like a double vector,” he continued.

Giuliani went on to draw a broader historical comparison. “There’s no group of people that have less regard for human life over the last 150 years than the followers of Karl Marx,” he said. “The only group that might equal that is the last 1,400 years of the strict followers of Muhammad.”

According to Giuliani, the overturned rule was an emergency safeguard that had been in place for decades, allowing city officials to suspend normal restrictions and require homeless individuals to enter shelters when temperatures dropped to dangerous levels.

“He reversed a policy of New York City that started before me, continued with me, and continued to him,” Giuliani said.

“It’s a policy that says if you get near freezing, then all these rules about you can’t force the homeless to go into a shelter are over. You can force them to go into a shelter.”

Giuliani’s comments came as the city was still dealing with the deadly impact of Winter Storm Fern, which he noted resulted in the deaths of 16 homeless individuals amid brutal cold conditions.

Mamdani, who identifies as a democratic socialist, has openly advocated for a larger government role in areas such as housing, healthcare, and economic policy.

He won election in November after campaigning on a platform centered on expanded public spending, broader city-managed services, and increased government involvement in the economy.

Giuliani also accused Mamdani of aligning himself with extremist organizations and hostile foreign actors, saying the evidence was clear. “He’s very favorable to Hamas,” Giuliani said, referencing the Gaza-based terrorist group. “They’ve only killed hundreds of thousands of people.

“Very favorable to Iran,” he added. “His father was a big supporter of all of them.

“He can’t fool anybody that he isn’t a supporter.”

{Matzav.com}

I tasted some chicken soup — do I have to wait six hours before I have my coffee with milk? I cut onions with a milky knife and fried them in a meaty pan — what do I do now? I cooked a potato in my meaty microwave — can I eat it with cheese? Numerous Kashrus questions […]

ELIMINATED: A joint IDF and ISA statement says Israeli forces struck a Hamas Nukhba terrorist platoon commander after terrorists opened fire on IDF troops, seriously wounding a reserve officer. The terrorist, Bilal Abu Assi, is said to have lead the October 7 infiltration into Kibbutz Nir Oz, taking part in abductions and murders, and later […]

The IDF has announced the creation of a new all-female combat company within the 869th Combat Intelligence Collection Unit, which is deployed along the Lebanon border. The unit, part of the Border Defense Corps and operating under the 91st “Galilee” Regional Division, has over the past year killed about 60 Hezbollah terrorists and destroyed numerous […]

A massive fire tore through a residential area in Barangay Lamion, Bongao, Tawi-Tawi, Philippines, destroying an estimated 1,000 homes.

Vice President JD Vance sharply criticized Rep. Jerry Nadler on Tuesday after the New York Democrat suggested that people might be justified in using deadly force against a federal agent if they believed they were being abducted by “masked hoodlums.”

Vance condemned Nadler’s comments in blunt terms, labeling them “despicable.”

Nadler made the remarks during a House Judiciary Committee hearing, where he argued that what he described as attacks on Americans posed the most serious threat facing the country.

“What is the major problem in our country today is the fascism in our streets; the attacks on American citizens by masked hoodlums. If you were attacked by a masked person, you might think you were being kidnapped; you’d be justified in shooting the person to protect yourself,” Nadler said.

Vance responded to the comments on X, directing his criticism at the veteran lawmaker, who is retiring from Congress.

“Jerry Nadler is one of the highest ranking Democrats in the House of Representatives and he is openly calling for people to shoot federal law enforcement.

“This is despicable behavior from an elected official and I’m sure the leftwing media will cover it extensively,” Vance wrote.

Nadler went on to expand on his concerns during the hearing.

“We see people being shot, for what? For driving a car?” he said.

The exchange followed a series of deadly incidents involving federal agents that have drawn scrutiny and political backlash.

Federal officials say Renee Good was shot and killed last month by an Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent after she attempted to flee in her vehicle to avoid arrest on suspicion of obstructing an immigration enforcement operation.

Authorities said Good used her car to block agents on a residential street and struck an officer, prompting the agent to fire in self-defense.

Others have challenged the government’s version of events leading up to Good’s death.

Several weeks later, Alex Pretti was fatally shot while interfering with an ICE operation in Minneapolis, an incident that prompted some Democrats to renew calls for dismantling the agency altogether.

{Matzav.com}

A one-year-old baby from Jerusalem who had no underlying conditions and was not vaccinated against measles died on Wednesday due to complications of the disease, Israel’s Health Ministry announced. The baby was pronounced dead at the emergency room at Hadassah Har HaTzofim Hospital after being evacuated from his home early in the morning. He is […]

Israeli authorities today lifted a gag order, allowing publication of the identity of the mayor arrested and questioned earlier this week on suspicion of bribery and misappropriation of funds. The suspect is Tomer Glam, the mayor of the southern city of Ashkelon.

According to investigators, Glam is suspected of diverting donations that were earmarked for the welfare of soldiers for his personal use. The investigation, led by the elite police anti-corruption unit Lahav 433, followed a covert probe that unfolded over recent months.

Police allege that donations totaling millions of shekels, contributed to the Ashkelon municipality by individuals and organizations in Israel and abroad, were transferred into a community fund and from there funneled into the private accounts of the mayor. The funds were reportedly donated to support residents during the ongoing war.

A police statement said the covert investigation was conducted by the National Fraud Investigations Unit, which examined suspicions that a portion of the donations intended for public welfare were ultimately used for the personal benefit of the mayor and individuals close to him.

Attorneys Victor Ozen and Esther Bar Zion, who represent Glam and his wife, rejected the allegations. In a statement, they said: “This is an upright, ethical, and honest individual who was detained, provided a full account, and will do everything necessary to prove to the police that there is absolutely no basis to the suspicions attributed to him, apparently due to an error.”

The attorneys added that Glam works “day and night for the city,” is deeply committed to the safety and welfare of its residents, and expressed confidence that within days investigators would conclude that there was no wrongdoing in his conduct.

The investigation is ongoing, and no charges have been filed at this stage.

{Matzav.com}

A California statute that prohibits federal law enforcement officers from wearing masks while performing their duties will not be enforced by the Los Angeles Police Department, according to LAPD Chief Jim McDonnell.

Speaking with KABC, McDonnell said it would be unreasonable for one armed law enforcement agency to confront another, warning that such an approach would only create unnecessary conflict. He took aim at the No Secret Police Act, arguing that it reflects poor judgment and a lack of careful consideration.

McDonnell has also voiced criticism over how immigration enforcement operations have been carried out in Los Angeles, distancing his department from those actions.

“We are in line with our federal partners on everything except immigration enforcement,” he said.

“What we’ve seen since June here in Los Angeles and seen across the country, we’re as frustrated as everybody else — about the way that’s being done,” McDonnell added.

The police chief said he worries that aggressive enforcement tactics could discourage residents from contacting police when they need assistance, though he acknowledged there has been no documented decline in calls for service.

In an appearance on “Good Day Los Angeles,” McDonnell emphasized that the LAPD does not cooperate with federal law enforcement agencies on immigration matters.

“We’ve been solid on that since 1979. That’s been our policy,” he said.

“That’s worked for us. We cannot afford to alienate immigrant communities within Los Angeles,” McDonnell continued.

“We’ve built up trust over many years, and we can’t afford to lose that trust,” he said.

“We’ve tried to be as clear as we can about what our position is relative to ICE and immigration enforcement. We don’t work with ICE on that,” McDonnell added.

The mask ban has also drawn sharp criticism from the Department of Homeland Security. Tricia McLaughlin, a DHS spokesperson, said the law violates the Constitution.

“At a time that ICE law enforcement faces a 1,000% increase in assaults and their family members are being doxxed and targeted, the sitting Governor of California signed unconstitutional legislation that strips law enforcement of protections in a disgusting, diabolical fundraising and PR stunt,” McLaughlin said in a statement issued last fall when the bill was signed.

California has since agreed not to implement the law while a lawsuit brought by the Trump administration proceeds through the courts.

{Matzav.com}