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Yerushalayim Affairs and Jewish Heritage Minister Meir Porush delivered a fiery address in the Knesset on Wednesday, launching a blistering attack on Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara and Israel’s High Court of Justice during debate over legislation redefining the powers of the attorney general. In an emotional speech, Porush accused the legal establishment of waging a campaign against Torah learners, likened its actions to those of Haman in the Purim story, and vowed that the Chareidi community would no longer submit to what it views as judicial persecution.

Taking the podium during the heated Knesset debate on the Attorney General Law, which addresses legal opinions, government representation, and oversight, Porush sharply criticized both the attorney general’s conduct and recent High Court rulings concerning the military draft of yeshiva bochurim and the funding of Torah institutions.

Addressing Baharav-Miara directly, Porush accused her of pushing the country toward an irreparable national divide through her legal policies on matters of religion and state.

Recalling the bill’s preliminary reading more than six months ago during the Purim season, Porush drew on imagery from Megillas Esther to compare the current political struggle to the biblical confrontation between Mordechai and Haman.

“You, Attorney General, are leading the country toward civil war,” he declared. “You are leading the nation toward an irreparable rift. When this bill passed its preliminary reading—the same bill we are debating today—during Purim more than half a year ago, I said: In Megillas Esther it is written, ‘If you have begun to fall before him, you shall surely fall,’ and I added, ‘Attorney Miara—you shall surely fall.’ Many members of this Knesset answered me then with ‘Amen,’ and today, together with the government, we are bringing that ‘Amen’ to fruition.”

Porush escalated his rhetoric by directly comparing the actions of the Attorney General’s Office and the High Court to those of Haman, accusing them of attempting to destroy the Torah world through legal rulings and financial sanctions.

“Just moments earlier in the Megillah it says, ‘If Mordechai is of the seed of the Jews…’ And today I stand here and say to everyone who thinks they can persecute Torah students—whether in the Attorney General’s Office or in the High Court—you, intoxicated by your own power, are behaving like Haman. Other than hanging Torah learners on the gallows, you have already done almost everything. But power does not last forever. ‘If Mordechai, before whom you have begun to fall, is of the seed of the Jews, you will not prevail against him, but you shall surely fall before him,’” Porush proclaimed from the Knesset podium.

The minister went on to review Jewish history, arguing that every empire, ruler, and regime that sought to eradicate Torah and its students ultimately disappeared, while the Jewish people endured.

“Jewish history is filled with empires, rulers, tyrants, and officials consumed by delusions of grandeur who tried to uproot the Torah, restrict those who study it, and impose a foreign culture upon us. Where are they today? Buried beneath the dust of history. And where are we? Growing stronger! ‘The Eternity of Israel does not lie,’” he said to applause from members of his faction.

Concluding his speech, Porush declared that the Chareidi public would no longer bow to judicial decisions that, in its view, undermine the Torah world. He argued that the legislation represents the beginning of restoring authority from unelected legal officials to Israel’s elected representatives.

“The legal bureaucracy, sitting in its ivory tower, has become accustomed to believing it is the true ruler of the State—that it can issue decrees, freeze funding, turn kollel avreichim into criminals, and expect us to bow our heads. Those days are over. Today we are restoring authority to the people and to their elected representatives, and just as importantly, we are placing a bright stop sign in front of this anti-Jewish campaign of persecution,” Porush concluded.

Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., is openly questioning Sen. Mitch McConnell’s extended absence from Congress, saying she cannot understand how such a lengthy disappearance by an elected official is being treated as routine.

Speaking with a reporter outside the U.S. Capitol, Ocasio-Cortez expressed disbelief over McConnell’s continued absence from the Senate.

“I mean, this is — I don’t even know how this is legal. I really don’t even know how this is legal at this point. And it — I just find it shocking,” Ocasio-Cortez said. “And how is everyone pretending this is normal? This is not normal. This is not normal, at all.”

The New York Democrat also referenced the extended absence of another Republican lawmaker, widely understood to be Rep. Tom Kean Jr. of New Jersey, though she did not mention him by name.

“First of all, how is it that we have sitting elected members of Congress going missing for months at a time when, especially right now when the margin — margin in the Senate are razor-thin, the margins in the House are razor-thin,” Ocasio-Cortez said. “Every single person’s absence here has country-altering implications.”

While acknowledging that lawmakers can face legitimate medical issues, she argued that there comes a point when prolonged absences become unacceptable.

“There’s a line here, and I think almost everyone can agree that it’s been crossed.”

Ocasio-Cortez’s remarks come after weeks of questions surrounding McConnell’s health and whereabouts following his hospitalization on June 14.

McConnell, 84, has not cast a vote in the Senate for more than a month. On Sunday, he addressed the speculation by releasing a statement accompanied by a photograph of himself in the hospital with his wife.

In the statement, McConnell said his absence stemmed from injuries suffered in a fall, as well as a mild case of pneumonia.

“As much as it frustrates me, this process takes time. And on the advice of my doctors, I won’t be able to return to the Senate floor to vote quite yet,” he wrote in a Sunday statement shared with The Hill.

Despite that explanation, questions have continued to circulate regarding his condition.

Sen. Ron Johnson, R-Wis., fueled some of that speculation on Monday when he questioned how recently the hospital photograph had been taken, though he later walked back those comments.

McConnell’s prolonged hospitalization, combined with the recent death of Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., has complicated President Donald Trump’s legislative agenda, particularly efforts to advance a $1.5 trillion defense spending package.

As chairman of the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Defense, McConnell oversees legislation involving Pentagon funding. Without his vote, Republicans could face an uphill battle in passing the defense package unless they secure support from Democratic senators.

{Matzav.com}

President Donald Trump threw his full support behind MyPillow founder Mike Lindell on Wednesday, issuing a glowing endorsement of his campaign for governor of Minnesota and urging voters to send the longtime ally to the governor’s mansion.

Posting on Truth Social, Trump praised Lindell while sharply criticizing outgoing Democratic Gov. Tim Walz.

“Mike Lindell, the “Pillow Man,” and one of America’s greatest and most hard working Patriots, is running to be GOVERNOR OF MINNESOTA, replacing one of the worst and most incompetent governors in the history of the U.S.A.,” Trump wrote.

Lindell entered the gubernatorial race last December, becoming one of several Republican candidates seeking to succeed Walz. The Democratic governor, who had initially sought a third term, withdrew from the race in January after facing intense scrutiny over a massive fraud scandal in Minnesota.

According to prosecutors, as much as $9 billion was allegedly stolen by multiple organizations that claimed to provide meals for needy children and other services reimbursed through state agencies.

Trump has repeatedly clashed with Walz over the alleged fraud, as well as over immigration enforcement and the administration’s policies regarding the conflict with Iran.

In his endorsement, Trump said Lindell is the candidate capable of reversing the state’s decline.

“He can do it! Nobody has sacrificed more than Mike Lindell in fighting for our country, especially when it comes to Election Integrity,” Trump wrote. “He truly deserves everything he gets – He will MAKE MINNESOTA GREAT AGAIN!!!”

Trump concluded his endorsement by declaring, “MIKE LINDELL HAS MY COMPLETE AND TOTAL ENDORSEMENT – HE WILL NOT LET YOU DOWN. Good Luck Mike!!!”

Lindell’s campaign comes only months after a federal judge ruled that he had defamed Smartmatic by making false statements alleging that the company’s voting machines helped rig the 2020 presidential election.

President Trump has continued to maintain that the 2020 election was illegitimate, despite courts and election officials finding no evidence of widespread fraud sufficient to change the outcome. He is expected to deliver a primetime address Thursday focused on election integrity.

Minnesota voters will head to the polls for the state’s primary election on Aug. 11. On the Democratic side, Sen. Amy Klobuchar is widely viewed as the leading contender heading into the November general election.

Last month, Lindell announced that retired U.S. Navy Lt. Cmdr. Phillip Parish will be his running mate for lieutenant governor if he is elected. Parish, a former intelligence officer, withdrew his own gubernatorial campaign to join Lindell’s ticket.

{Matzav.com}

A wave of grief swept through the community in Yerushalayim on Wednesday following the tragic passing of four-and-a-half-year-old Frieda Hershkowitz a”h, who was fatally struck by a vehicle in the Meah Shearim neighborhood.

The devastating accident occurred shortly after midday on Rechov Harav Shmuel Salant. The young girl was hit by a passing vehicle, prompting an immediate response from emergency personnel.

First responders performed extensive resuscitation efforts at the scene before evacuating her in critical condition to a hospital in Yerushalayim. Despite the determined efforts of medical teams, she succumbed to her injuries, and her petirah was later confirmed.

The tragic news spread quickly, leaving family members, friends, neighbors, and residents of the surrounding Chareidi neighborhoods in profound shock and mourning.

Following the accident, ZAKA volunteers responded both at the scene and at the hospital to assist the family and ensure that every aspect of the situation was handled with dignity and according to halachah.

“With the receipt of the report, ZAKA volunteers were dispatched to the scene of the accident,” said Bentzi Auering, Commander of ZAKA’s Jerusalem District, together with Tzvi Yurovitz, a ZAKA Yerushalayim District minilance driver. “After the girl’s death was pronounced at the hospital, the volunteers worked at the scene collecting all findings out of respect for the deceased. At the same time, they accompanied the family at the hospital and assisted in coordinating with all the relevant authorities until she could be brought to burial.”

ZAKA’s legal department worked with police and the appropriate legal authorities to expedite the process. Following those discussions, it was decided that the child’s body would be released directly for kevurah without being transferred to the Institute of Forensic Medicine.

Auering praised the efforts of the volunteers and those involved in securing the family’s request.

“From the moment the report was received, ZAKA volunteers worked at both the scene and the hospital alongside the family. At the same time, ZAKA’s legal department coordinated with all the relevant authorities, and with siyata diShmaya the process was completed and the child was released for burial without being transferred to the Institute of Forensic Medicine.”

Michael Gutwein, coordinator of ZAKA’s legal department, said the organization regularly assists bereaved families during their most difficult moments.

“Members of the legal department accompany families during their hardest moments and work with all the authorities to ensure the swift release of the deceased for burial while preserving the dignity of the deceased and the rights of the family.”

The circumstances surrounding the fatal accident remain under investigation. The levayah is expected to take place as soon as arrangements are completed.

Baruch Dayan HaEmes.

{Matzav.com}

A photograph showing Prime Minister Binyomin Netanyahu reading a book aboard an aircraft has ignited widespread discussion on social media, with critics questioning whether the image captured a genuine moment or was staged for public consumption.

The image, shared by political commentator Amit Segal on his Telegram channel alongside a political update, appeared to portray Netanyahu making productive use of his flight time by reading. Instead of focusing on the book itself, however, many online commenters zeroed in on details they said cast doubt on the authenticity of the scene.

Among the issues raised was the apparent difficulty of reading under the circumstances. Critics questioned why someone would choose to read a printed book inside a dimly lit, noisy aircraft while using a cellphone as a flashlight in one hand and holding the book in the other. They argued that the posture appeared awkward for sustained reading and looked more like a carefully arranged photo opportunity than a candid moment.

The biggest point of criticism centered on Netanyahu’s lack of reading glasses. Social media users referenced longstanding claims that his prepared speeches are printed in unusually large type so he can read them without wearing glasses in public. That prompted many to ask how he could comfortably read the small print of a book under poor lighting inside an aircraft without eyewear.

For many of the photo’s critics, those details transformed what might have been viewed as a flattering image into what they described as evidence that Netanyahu was posing with the book rather than actually reading it. They argued that the photograph was intended to project the image of a diligent, intellectual leader who uses every spare moment productively.

Segal also came under criticism for publishing the photograph. Some detractors argued that instead of simply reporting the accompanying political news, he amplified what they viewed as a public relations image from the prime minister’s office without explaining the circumstances in which it was taken or questioning whether it reflected a spontaneous moment or one designed to convey a particular message.

At the same time, critics acknowledged that the photograph itself does not prove Netanyahu was not reading. Nevertheless, they argued that the combination of the cellphone flashlight, the dim conditions, and the absence of reading glasses gave them reason to question whether the image depicted genuine reading or simply the appearance of it.