As the highly contested New York City mayoral election approaches, many New Yorkers currently abroad in Israel wish to participate in this crucial race. While registration for new voters closed on October 25, 2025, Chaim V’Chessed points out that those who have registered to vote in New York, even in past elections, and who intend to return to New York, remain eligible.
Eligible voters must request their absentee ballot by 11:59 p.m. New York time on October 28. The process is simple: complete the FPCA (Federal Postcard Application) form available at this link and email it to voterreg@boe.nyc.ny.us. Ballots are typically received by email within a few days.
In a parallel initiative, Agudath Israel of America has established a dedicated ballot-collection service in Israel for New York City absentee ballots. Collection points are available in several Jerusalem neighborhoods, allowing New Yorkers abroad to submit their ballots locally and ensure they reach New York in time. Click here for details.
Summary: Instructions for voters abroadFill out the FPCA absentee-ballot request form.
Email the completed form to the voterreg@boe.nyc.ny.us promptly.
Watch for the emailed ballot; complete and return it according to instructions.
Use the Agudath Israel collection points in Israel to submit your ballot.
{Matzav.com}
With growing outrage over the draft law and the recent arrest of yeshiva bochurim, the long-discussed “million-man protest” in defense of Torah learning may finally be taking shape.
A key organizing meeting was held Sunday morning at the Bnei Brak Municipality, drawing representatives from all major chareidi parties, yet no final decisions have been made.
The meeting brought together Meir Porush and Chanoch Zeibert of Agudas Yisroel, Chaim Bitton of Shas, and Menachem Shapira of Degel HaTorah.
According to sources, the current plan under consideration is to hold the mass protest this Thursday afternoon at the entrance to Yerushalayim, the same location where a massive demonstration took place in 2014. However, the final date and details remain uncertain due to the significant funding and logistical coordination required, including arrangements with police and municipal authorities.
Meanwhile, members of the chareidi public, many of whom have already scheduled events for later in the week, are eagerly awaiting an official announcement. The sense in the community is that this time, the protest may indeed move forward after weeks of hesitation and internal debate.
The rally’s momentum stems from the recent arrest of Ariel Shamai, a yeshiva bochur from Yeshivas Ateres Shlomo — an incident that, for the first time, prompted Degel HaTorah to join public protests. Rav Shalom Ber Sorotzkin, rosh yeshiva of Ateres Shlomo, has been at the forefront of efforts to unite all factions of the Torah world around this cause.
Earlier today, Rav Sorotzkin participated in a session of the Eidah HaChareidis Beis Din in Yerushalayim, presided over by the senior posek Rav Moshe Sternbuch, to deliberate on an appropriate communal response to the continued imprisonment of yeshiva students. Among those present was the Beis Din’s emissary, Rav Shimon Shisha, who joined the discussion alongside Rav Sorotzkin.
In a related development, thousands of students from the Ateres Shlomo network of Talmudei Torah are expected to gather tomorrow outside Prison 10 in protest of the arrest. The demonstration is being organized under the direct instruction of Rav Moshe Hillel Hirsch.
For now, the nation waits. Will this week finally see the long-promised “million-man protest”?
{Matzav.com}
A moving reception was held in Bnei Brak on Sunday for Bar Avraham Kupershtein, who was recently released from Hamas captivity in Gaza after months of nationwide tefillos on his behalf. The emotional highlight of the day was his visit to the home of Slabdoka Rosh Yeshiva Rav Moshe Hillel Hirsch.
Kupershtein first arrived with his mother, Mrs. Julie Kupershtein, at City Hall, where Mayor Chanoch Zeibert, Deputy and Acting Mayor Menachem Shapira, and City Director Yisroel Ehrenstein welcomed him at a special session of the City Council. Speaking before the gathered officials and residents, Bar expressed his gratitude for the tefillos that, he said, led to his miraculous release. “I know that it’s because of your tefillos that I am here today,” he said.
Later, Bar visited Rav Hirsch at his home, where he recounted his experiences in captivity beneath Gaza. He described how he observed Shabbos even in the darkness of the tunnels, making Kiddush over water and singing zemiros. Journalist Yisroel Cohen, who accompanied families of the hostages and was present during the meeting, related that Bar told Rav Hirsch about a terrifying moment in captivity: a terrorist entered their holding place and announced that he would kill three of the six hostages, allowing them to decide who would die and who would be wounded. “I said Shema Yisroel and wasn’t afraid,” Bar recalled. “I felt I was in the hands of the Creator.” Miraculously, all of them survived.
During the City Council ceremony, Mayor Zeibert told Bar, “Everyone did their part for the hostages, but the greatest campaigner was your mother, Mrs. Julie. Thank you, and thank you to all the residents of Bnei Brak who prayed and united in tefillah and good deeds. Your joy, Bar, is the joy of us all. Welcome home.”
Deputy Mayor Menachem Shapira added that thousands of residents accompanied Julie through her long and painful ordeal. “It was a journey of kiddush Hashem and emunah that strengthened us all,” he said. “Thank you to everyone who took part in the prayers, initiatives, and acts of kindness.”
Councilman Lama Elharar said, “Not only have you come home, but you have brought home with you a spirit of faith that has inspired tens of thousands. Your mother’s words, ‘Always in Hashem’s hands,’ have become a symbol for so many.” He concluded by leading the audience in an emotional recitation of Mizmor l’Sodah.
Mrs. Julie Kupershtein thanked the mayor and residents for their boundless support. “Thank you to the mayor and to everyone in this city. What an incredible welcome! Thank you for every tefillah, every bit of strength, and every tear. Let’s continue to daven together for the safe return of all those still held captive,” she said.
When Bar rose to speak, many in the hall were moved to tears. “I just want to say thank you to all of you,” he said. “I’m sure that because of your prayers and those of all of Klal Yisroel, I’m here today. Without you, I might still be there.” Removing his cap, he showed the words embroidered on it: Always in the hands of the Creator.
City Director Yisroel Ehrenstein, who emceed the event, told Bar, “You’re returning today to a city that prayed for you. Thousands of minyanim recited Tehillim, children took on kabbalos tovos, schools and shuls organized days of prayer and spiritual growth—all with one heart and one goal: your safe return. Every week, city employees gathered here in this very hall to say Tehillim for the hostages. Every Rosh Chodesh, we held gatherings of inspiration and commitment. Today, we are privileged to see the circle completed.”
Mayor Zeibert presented Bar with a beautifully bound Sefer Tehillim on behalf of the city’s residents. Inside was an inscription that read: “I present you with this Sefer Tehillim as a symbol of the prayers, tears, and faith that accompanied your name every day, in every corner of the city, and in every heart that beat with hope for your safe return. In our darkest moments, we lifted our eyes to Heaven and cried, ‘Me’ayin yavo ezri? Ezri me’im Hashem oseh shamayim va’aretz.’ And now, with heartfelt gratitude to the Creator, we are blessed to see you home, healthy, and whole, reunited with your family.”
{Matzav.com}
Senator Ted Cruz sounded an alarm on his podcast Verdict With Ted Cruz, cautioning that the American right risks repeating what he described as the left’s “moral failure” of ignoring rising antisemitism. The Texas Republican said that silence from Christian conservatives is allowing the same hatred to fester within their own ranks.
“Well, and that’s where it’s spreading, and that’s where it’s dangerous,” Cruz said, urging pastors and conservative leaders to take a stand before the problem deepens. “And I don’t want us to make the mistake that the left made a decade ago of sitting there silently. My call was to church leaders: Wake up.”
Cruz emphasized that the growing wave of antisemitic sentiment is not being orchestrated from abroad. “We support Israel because it is in America’s national security interest to do so,” he said, rejecting claims that pro-Israel conservatives are acting out of loyalty to another nation. He added that the explosion of hate online is not artificial. “It is organic. These are real human beings, and it is spreading.”
Earlier in the week, Cruz delivered a similar plea from the pulpit of John Hagee’s Cornerstone Church in San Antonio during Christians United for Israel’s 45th annual “Night to Honor Israel,” one of the most prominent gatherings in the evangelical world. “I’m here to tell you: In the last six months, I have seen antisemitism rising on the right in a way I have never seen in my entire life,” he told the audience. “The church is asleep right now.”
He went on to denounce the resurgence of replacement theology, calling it “a lie that the promises God made to Israel and the people of Israel are somehow no longer good, they are no longer valid.”
Cruz said he had recently spoken with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and reaffirmed that the spread of antisemitic rhetoric cannot be blamed solely on foreign influence. “Yes, Qatar and Iran are clearly paying for it … but I am telling you, this is real,” he said in San Antonio.
His comments follow growing concern among conservatives over overtly antisemitic discourse surfacing in online Republican circles. This month, leaked messages from a Young Republicans Telegram group revealed participants joking about gas chambers and praising Adolf Hitler, leading to several chapter closures, dismissals, and widespread condemnation.
While Cruz did not call out specific figures or influencers on his podcast, his warning was unmistakable: ignoring the threat would be tantamount to endorsing it. “This is not bots. It is real,” he said. “And it is spreading.”
{Matzav.com}
Russia has successfully tested a nuclear-powered, nuclear-capable cruise missile that President Vladimir Putin says can evade any existing defense system — marking what appears to be a major step toward deploying one of the most secretive weapons in Moscow’s arsenal.
A video released by the Kremlin showed Putin, clad in camouflage, being briefed by Gen. Valery Gerasimov, Russia’s chief of general staff. During the report, Gerasimov informed him that the Burevestnik missile had traveled 8,700 miles during a crucial test on Tuesday. He added that the missile, which runs on nuclear propulsion, “spent 15 hours in the air on nuclear power,” before remarking, “that’s not the limit.”
Putin said the weapon is designed to be unstoppable. “We need to determine the possible uses and begin preparing the infrastructure for deploying these weapons to our armed forces,” he told Gerasimov. The Russian leader also declared that the Burevestnik is “invulnerable to current and future missile defenses,” citing its limitless range and unpredictable flight path.
The test, which Moscow hailed as a breakthrough, follows years of trials and setbacks involving the Burevestnik — known by NATO as “Skyfall.” The missile is believed to be capable of traveling vast distances at low altitudes, potentially flying around the world undetected. Putin first unveiled the project in 2018, claiming it would possess “unlimited range” and render Western defense systems obsolete.
Despite Russia’s claims, Western analysts have long doubted the missile’s reliability, warning that a nuclear engine could prove unstable and extremely dangerous. Both the United States and the Soviet Union pursued similar projects during the Cold War but ultimately abandoned them as unsafe and environmentally hazardous.
Concerns intensified in August 2019, when a missile believed to be the Burevestnik exploded during testing at a naval range on the White Sea. The blast killed five nuclear engineers and two soldiers, briefly elevating radiation levels in a nearby city and triggering alarm among residents. While Russian authorities never confirmed the missile’s identity, U.S. intelligence later said it was the same nuclear-powered weapon.
Kirill Dmitriev, a senior Putin aide who was visiting the United States when the test footage was released, said his team informed American officials about the “successful testing” of what he called “an absolutely new class” of weapon.
The latest development comes as the Kremlin ramps up nuclear signaling amid its ongoing standoff with the West over Ukraine. Russia has resisted calls for a ceasefire and warned the U.S. and NATO against authorizing long-range strikes into Russian territory.
Earlier in the week, Putin oversaw a massive exercise of Russia’s strategic nuclear forces, which included live missile launches from land, air, and sea. The Kremlin confirmed that the drills tested every element of Moscow’s nuclear triad — from intercontinental ballistic missiles fired in northwestern Russia to submarine-launched projectiles in the Barents Sea, and Tu-95 bombers deploying long-range cruise missiles.
The exercise took place as a planned summit between Putin and President Donald Trump on the Ukraine crisis was postponed — but the timing of Russia’s test sent a clear message: Moscow is showcasing its nuclear might, and it wants the world to notice.
{Matzav.com}
The United States has started flying surveillance drones over Gaza as part of an expanding effort to monitor the ceasefire between Israel and Hamas, according to a report in The New York Times on Saturday. The initiative coincides with the arrival of international partners joining the U.S.-led mission to enforce the truce and stabilize the war-torn territory.
Citing two Israeli military officials and one U.S. defense source, the Times said the American military began operating unmanned aircraft over Gaza with Israel’s full consent. The exact location from which these drones are being launched was not disclosed.
Washington’s goal, the report said, is to obtain an independent assessment of the situation on the ground while assisting the new Civil-Military Coordination Center (CMCC) in southern Israel. The CMCC was created to oversee the implementation of the Trump-brokered deal and coordinate logistics, humanitarian aid, and security.
According to the Times, similar U.S. drone missions had previously been flown to help track hostages, but the latest operations mark a shift — signaling the Trump administration’s intent to verify ceasefire conditions independently, rather than relying solely on Israeli intelligence.
“This is a very intrusive version of US monitoring on a front where Israel perceives an active threat,” said Daniel B. Shapiro, who served as U.S. ambassador to Israel under President Obama. “If there was total transparency and total trust between Israel and the US, there wouldn’t be a need for this,” he added. “But obviously the US wants to eliminate any possibility of misunderstanding.”
Neither the IDF nor the U.S. State Department provided comments regarding the surveillance operations, the report noted.
Meanwhile, the coalition of nations working with the CMCC has expanded rapidly. In addition to Jordan, the UK, Germany, Denmark, and Canada — whose flags were raised at the center’s inauguration earlier this week — new members now include Australia, France, Spain, and the United Arab Emirates, a U.S. official confirmed to The Times of Israel. France and Australia both recognized a Palestinian state last month, joining Spain, which made the same move last year.
The CMCC, run under American command, serves as the central coordination hub for aid and security efforts in postwar Gaza. About 200 U.S. military personnel have been deployed to establish and operate the facility, working alongside allied troops. U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) emphasized that no American soldiers will enter Gaza itself. “The CMCC is designed to support stabilization efforts… US military personnel will instead help facilitate the flow of humanitarian, logistical, and security assistance from international counterparts into Gaza,” CENTCOM said in its statement launching the center.
The facility was officially opened on Tuesday in a ceremony attended by Vice President JD Vance, CENTCOM Commander Adm. Brad Cooper, and Lt. Gen. Patrick Frank, who now leads the U.S. Army contingent.
Despite the growing list of partner nations, the CMCC’s organizational structure and legal framework remain unclear, as does the question of whether any country will commit troops for a potential UN-backed peacekeeping force in Gaza. Among its anticipated responsibilities will be overseeing the dismantling of Hamas’s remaining weapons network and the destruction of its underground tunnel system.
Israeli Defense Minister Yisroel Katz told Vice President Vance during their meeting that roughly 60 percent of Hamas’s tunnel infrastructure is still operational. Channel 12 News reported that nearly half of those tunnels are believed to lie near the “Yellow Line,” the boundary to which Israeli forces withdrew when the ceasefire began on October 10.
{Matzav.com}
The United States and China have wrapped up negotiations on the transfer of the American version of TikTok to new ownership, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent confirmed on Sunday. President Trump and Chinese leader Xi Jinping are set to finalize the agreement during their face-to-face meeting in Busan, South Korea, on Thursday — their first encounter since 2019.
“We reached a final deal on TikTok,” Bessent told CBS News’ Face the Nation. “We reached one in Madrid, and I believe that as of today, all the details are ironed out, and that will be for the two leaders to consummate that transaction on Thursday in Korea.”
Trump had already laid the groundwork for the transaction last month with an executive order that created the legal path for TikTok’s transfer. At the time, negotiators were still working through several technical and commercial sticking points before reaching Sunday’s breakthrough.
Bessent declined to disclose specifics about the final structure of the agreement, saying he wasn’t directly involved in its business arrangements. “My remit was to get the Chinese to agree to approve the transaction, and I believe we successfully accomplished that over the past two days,” he said.
According to the framework introduced under Trump’s executive order, ByteDance — TikTok’s Chinese parent company — will retain less than 20% ownership of the platform. The remaining 80% will be held by “certain investors,” satisfying U.S. law requiring TikTok’s separation from Chinese Communist Party–linked control for national security reasons. That law was passed by Congress and signed last year by President Joe Biden.
Trump has repeatedly extended deadlines for TikTok’s divestment, allowing time for talks to progress. Had ByteDance refused to part with its majority stake, the app would have faced removal from U.S. app stores, effectively cutting it off from millions of users nationwide.
The president previously revealed that several high-profile business figures — including Oracle co-founder Larry Ellison, tech billionaire Michael Dell, and News Corp’s Rupert Murdoch — would be involved in the restructured TikTok ownership plan. Whether their roles changed during the final stages of negotiation remains unclear.
Bessent also hinted that Trump is now backing away from the steep 155% tariff rate he threatened to impose on China last week amid tensions over Beijing’s rare earth export policies. That tariff, which was slated to take effect on November 1, would have sharply increased the existing 55% rate on most Chinese imports.
“It would be an extra 100% from where we are now, and I believe that that is effectively off the table,” Bessent said. “I’m not going to get ahead of the two leaders who will be meeting in Korea on Thursday, but I can tell you we had a very good two days.” He added, “So I would expect that the threat of the 100% has gone away, as has the threat of the immediate imposition of the Chinese initiating a worldwide export control regime.”
As for U.S. agriculture, Bessent offered a cryptic but optimistic hint about the deal’s benefits. “Soybean farmers are going to be extremely happy with this deal for this year and for the coming years,” he said, without elaborating.
Critics have previously accused the administration of undercutting American soybean growers through a $20 billion currency swap with Argentina — a move they argued would strengthen Buenos Aires’ economy and allow it to sell more soybeans to China. But Bessent’s comments suggest the new trade framework could bring a major boost to American farmers as part of the broader U.S.-China accord.
{Matzav.com}
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