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Speaker Johnson on the Democrat shutdown: “This is the first time in history that any party has chosen to shut the government down over a clean CR.”

Vice President J.D. Vance is en route to the temporary U.S. military headquarters in Kiryat Gat, established to oversee and coordinate the Gaza ceasefire.

It is with great sadness that Matzav.com reports the petirah of Mrs. Leba Werdiger a”h, Leba bas Reb Yosef Chaim, who passed away this morning.

Mrs. Werdiger was an extraordinary woman, known for her boundless selflessness, quiet strength, and deep devotion to her family and to klal Yisroel. Her life was defined by chesed and emunah, and she leaves behind generations who embody her values and her unwavering commitment to Torah and avodas Hashem.

She was the beloved mother of Mr. Shloime Werdiger, chairman of Agudas Yisroel of America, and the matriarch of an illustrious family whose influence spans communities around the world.

The levayah will take place today at 12:30 p.m. at Shomrei Hadas Chapels in Boro Park.

Yehi zichrah boruch.

{Matzav.com}

YWN regrets to inform you of the Petira of Mrs. Leba Werdiger A”H, beloved mother of noted philanthropist and Agudath Israel Chairman, Reb Shloime Werdiger. She was 97. Mrs. Werdiger was a longtime resident of Boro Park and leaves behind a large Mishpacha known for their extraordinary acts of Chesed and community leadership. The Levaya will take place at 12:30 PM at Shomrei Hadas. תהא נשמתה צרורה בצרור החיים. (YWN World Headquarters – NYC)

The IDF says that during an overnight operation on Sunday, troops from the 810th “Mountains” Regional Brigade, including reservists and combat engineers, demolished several Hezbollah posts on the Lebanese side of Mount Dov. The military says the posts were destroyed to prevent Hezbollah from using them to entrench itself in the area in the future.

HaGaon HaRav Dov Landau shlit”a arrives in Los Angeles for his second day in the US on behalf of Keren Olam Hatorah.

Prime Minister Netanyahu met today in Jerusalem with the head of Egyptian intelligence. The meeting focused on advancing President Trump’s regional framework, strengthening Israel-Egypt relations, and other regional matters.

Roughly half of the hostages freed and returned to Israel last week met Tuesday morning in Tel Aviv with US special envoy Steve Witkoff and senior White House adviser Jared Kushner. Among those who took part in the meeting were Omri Miran, Gal Berman, Ziv Berman, Yosef Chaim Ohana, Matan Angrest, Bar Kuperstein, Segev Kalfon, Nimrod Cohen, and Eitan Horn — all recently discharged from the hospital after their return from Gaza.

Prime Minister Netanyahu marked his 76th birthday by sending his decorated birthday cake to the children’s ward at Hadassah Hospital.

U.S. Vice President JD Vance shakes hands with Israeli Deputy Prime Minister Yarin Levin upon his arrival to Israel.

Former French president Nicolas Sarkozy reported to La Santé Prison in Paris on Monday to begin serving a five-year sentence. Sarkozy, who led France from 2007 to 2012, was convicted for his involvement in a plot to secure illegal campaign financing from Libya during his 2007 election bid.

Hamas’s military wing announced a short while ago that it will hand over the bodies of two deceased hostages to Israel later tonight.

According to the statement, the transfer is scheduled to take place at 9 p.m. The terror organization claimed that its operatives had “retrieved [the bodies] today in the Strip,” but did not release the names or any identifying details of the victims.

The announcement comes amid ongoing ceasefire arrangements and continued negotiations over the release of hostages still held in Gaza. Israeli officials have not yet commented on the claim or confirmed the planned transfer.

{Matzav.com}

A controversial broadcast on Al Jazeera’s investigative series The Hidden Is More Immense on Monday featured what it claimed to be a “leaked document” listing nearly 30,000 members of Israel’s Air Force, including pilots who took part in the Gaza campaign.

The program displayed headshots and personal details said to belong to IAF personnel, much of which appeared to have been compiled from social media profiles. The episode centered on the activities of the Brazil-based Hind Rajib Foundation, an organization seeking to launch legal cases against Israeli soldiers abroad.

Cyber experts quickly pointed out that the trove of information Al Jazeera aired seemed identical to a previous data breach reported three years ago. At that time, a hacker collective known as “Leak the Analyst” had dumped the personal data of 30,000 current and former Air Force members onto the darknet.

Varonis, the cybersecurity firm that uncovered that breach, analyzed the compromised files and confirmed that several names corresponded to active-duty Israeli pilots. The firm noted that the leak’s source appeared to be nonmilitary in nature, possibly originating from a civilian marketing database connected to the aviation industry.

“Varonis crosschecked the names and found that some belong to active IAF pilots,” the company reported, emphasizing that the leak was not necessarily the result of a direct military systems breach.

Investigators also warned that “Leak the Analyst,” the same group suspected of the earlier exposure, has a long record of targeting both private cybersecurity companies and government institutions around the world — suggesting that Al Jazeera’s latest revelation may not be as new or exclusive as portrayed.

{Matzav.com}

Most U.S. adults are worried about health care becoming more expensive, according to a new AP-NORC poll, as they make decisions about next year’s health coverage and a government shutdown keeps future health costs in limbo for millions. About 6 in 10 Americans are “extremely” or “very” concerned about their health costs going up in the next year, the survey from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research finds — a worry that extends across age groups and includes people with and without health insurance. Many Americans have other health care anxieties, too. The poll found that about 4 in 10 Americans are “extremely” or “very” concerned about not being able to pay for health care or medications they need, not being able to access health care when they need it, or losing or not having health insurance. Medicare beneficiaries are already shopping for next year’s coverage, and open enrollment periods for many other health plans are approaching quickly in November. Federal policies have left millions of people at risk of skyrocketing health insurance premiums or of losing their health insurance altogether. The findings show that many Americans are feeling vulnerable to spiking health care costs, with some expressing concerns about whether they’ll have coverage at all. Latoya Wilson, an independent nurse consultant in Lafayette, Louisiana, currently uses a health insurance plan from the Affordable Care Act marketplace. But in the past two weeks, the 46-year-old has applied for more jobs than she had previously in her life, largely because she’s concerned about her premiums going up and wants the stability of employer-sponsored insurance. “Even before these health care cuts came into play, I was already having a significant issue getting the care that I needed this year,” she said. “Anything worse than what I already have is pretty scary.” Health care remains important to Americans when it’s center stage in Washington About 8 in 10 U.S. adults say the issue of health care is “extremely” or “very” important to them personally. That includes about 9 in 10 Democrats and three-quarters of Republicans, and it puts health care next to the economy among Americans’ top issue priorities. That significant attention on the issue raises the political stakes in what’s already been a crucial moment for federal health policy in the nation’s capital. President Donald Trump’s mega-bill passed this summer cuts more than $1 trillion from federal health care and food assistance over a decade, largely by imposing work requirements on those receiving aid and by shifting certain federal costs onto the states. Republicans say the cuts will prevent people who don’t need aid from gaming the system, but the cuts will ultimately result in millions of people losing health insurance coverage, according to projections from the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office. More urgently, a congressional deadlock over Affordable Care Act subsidies that expire this year has thrown the federal government into a shutdown that’s dragged into a fourth straight week with no end in sight. Democratic lawmakers want any funding bill they sign to extend the subsidies, which have made ACA premiums less expensive for millions of people. Republicans in Congress have expressed willingness to negotiate on the issue, but only after the government is reopened. In interviews, some Americans said they doubted government leaders would take the necessary action to address their concerns on health care. “It is the federal government’s job to provide a better way of life […]

Overnight in Yerushalayim, a protest against the arrest of bnei yeshiva turned violent, with demonstrators setting trash bins on fire, blocking traffic, and throwing stones and bottles at police officers and Border Police forces.

One policewoman was struck in the face by a rock and evacuated to the hospital for treatment.

The disturbance broke out near Rechov Yechezkel, where dozens of protesters rallied against the arrests of yeshiva students who had failed to report for military service.

Police reported that the demonstrators blocked traffic lanes and bus routes, endangering drivers and pedestrians, and ignited bonfires and garbage bins along the roadway.

According to the Israel Police, officers issued repeated dispersal orders before the crowd was forcibly cleared. “After a police commander declared the protest an unlawful disturbance and the participants refused to comply, officers were compelled to use crowd-control measures,” the police said.

Throughout the night, police and Border Police units worked to restore calm and push back the rioters. “The Israel Police respects the right to protest within the law,” the statement continued, “but will act firmly against any breach of public order, assaults on police, or acts of violent rioting.”

{Matzav.com}

It is with great sadness that Matzav.com reports the petirah of Rav Yitzchok Aryeh Leibush Halpern zt”l, Av Beis Din of Radomishla in the Ramat neighborhood of Yerushalayim. He was 81.

His passing comes just six months after the petirah of his son, Rav Yechezkel Shraga Dovid Halpern zt”l, who served as Rav of Beis Medrash Sanz in Ramot and was among the roshei yeshiva of Shefa Chaim.

Rav Halpern was taken to Hadassah Ein Kerem Hospital in Yerushalayim after suffering complications from an infection, and he was sedated and placed on a ventilator. He was niftar early this morning.

The levayah took place at noon today at his beis medrash in Ramat Gimmel, Yerushalayim, proceeding to Har HaZeisim, where he was laid to rest beside his father.

Rav Halpern was born in London in Tishrei 5705 (1944) to his illustrious father, Rav Elchanan Halpern zt”l, Av Beis Din of Radomishla–Golders Green, and his mother, Rebbetzin Hannah Chaya a”h, a descendant of the Divrei Chaim of Sanz.

He married Rebbetzin Leiba Fradel, daughter of Rav Shmuel Alexander Unsdorfer zt”l, Rav of Kehillas Reishis Chochmah in Montreal and Rav of Chassidei Sanz in Petach Tikva, author of Sefer Sifsei Shmuel.

After their marriage, the couple lived near his father-in-law in Montreal before moving to England. In the early 1970s, Rav Halpern fulfilled his lifelong dream of settling in Eretz Yisroel.

He first served as Rav of Kehillas Divrei Chaim of Sanz in Petach Tikva and simultaneously headed Kollel Maharash Engel in Yerushalayim, named for his grandfather, Rav Shmuel Engel zt”l.

Later, he moved to the Ramot neighborhood of Yerushalayim, where he founded his beis medrash, Eishel Barama. After the passing of his father, he was appointed Av Beis Din of Radomishla and continued to serve as a mara d’asra and moreh hora’ah for the kehillah.

Rav Halpern was renowned for his yiras Shamayim, humility, and devotion to Torah and avodas Hashem. His shiurim, guidance, and quiet influence left a lasting impression on countless talmidim and mispallelim.

He is survived by a distinguished family of bnei Torah and marbitzei Torah.

Yehi zichro baruch.

{Matzav.com}

Former French President Nicolas Sarkozy arrived at a prison in Paris on Tuesday to begin serving a 5-year sentence for a criminal conspiracy to finance his 2007 election campaign with funds from Libya — a historic moment that makes him the first ex-leader of modern France to be imprisoned. Sarkozy, 70, was greeted by hundreds of supporters when he walked out of his Paris home hand-in-hand with his wife Carla Bruni-Sarkozy. He embraced her before getting into a police car. On his way to prison, Sarkozy released a statement on social media declaring that “an innocent man” was being locked up. Minutes later, the vehicle passed through the gates of the notorious La Santé prison — where Sarkozy will now serve his sentence in solitary confinement. Sarkozy was convicted last month for criminal conspiracy in a scheme to finance his 2007 election campaign with funds from Libya. He contests both the conviction and a judge’s unusual decision to incarcerate him pending appeal. His lawyers said Tuesday that they filed an immediate request for his release. “It’s an ominous day for him, for France, and for our institutions, because this incarceration is a disgrace,” Sarkozy’s lawyer Jean-Michel Darrois told reporters soon after his incarceration. Solitary confinement Sarkozy’s lawyers said he will be kept away from all other prisoners for security reasons. Sarkozy told Le Figaro newspaper that he would bring three books — the maximum allowed — including Alexandre Dumas’ “The Count of Monte Cristo,″ in which the hero escapes from an island prison before seeking revenge. His lawyers said he packed a bag with a few sweaters because the prison is cold and earplugs because it’s noisy. Christophe Ingrain, another of Sarkozy’s lawyers, denounced “a serious injustice.” “It’s a very difficult time, but the president has stood strong,” Ingrain said. “He doesn’t complain, hasn’t asked for anything, no special treatment.” Sarkozy will be allowed to go outdoors one hour per day alone in the prison yard and to get three visits per week from his family, Ingrain said, adding that he is planning to write a book about his prison experience. An outpouring of support for the ex-president Sarkozy’s journey from the presidential Elysée Palace to La Santé prison has captivated France. After leaving their home, Sarkozy and his wife walked slowly to join family members, including his children and grandchildren, outside his home. “I’m very proud to share his name, and very proud of how he’s reacting,” said his brother, Guillaume Sarkozy. “I’m truly convinced that he is innocent.” Hundreds of supporters applauded and chanted “Nicolas, Nicolas” and sang the French anthem. Two French flags were hung on a nearby fence, with the words “Courage Nicolas, return soon” and “true France with Nicolas.” Parisian resident Virginie Rochon, 44, came in support of Sarkozy, calling it “scandalous” to see ”a former president being taken away while still presumed innocent.” Another supporter, Véronique Maurey, 50, said “it’s just not possible. And on top of that, calling it a ‘criminal conspiracy’ kind of makes all of us feel like criminals too because we voted for him. It’s not right to say that.” Meeting with Macron Embattled centrist President Emmanuel Macron hosted the conservative Sarkozy at the presidential palace last week. ‘’I have always been very clear in my public statements about the […]

In a show of solidarity with the olam haTorah in Eretz Yisroel, thousands gathered Sunday afternoon outside the Israeli Consulate in Manhattan to protest the arrest of yeshiva bochurim for refusing military conscription.

The asifah was led by the Satmar Rebbes, Rav Aharon Teitelbaum and his brother, Rav Zalman Leib Teitelbaum.

The Satmar Rebbes each called for participation in the event but did not appear together.

Crowds filled Second Avenue for blocks, with throngs of chassidim arriving by bus and even by ferry from across New York and neighboring states.

Because Manhattan authorities prohibited full street closures, participants lined the sidewalks stretching over a wide area.

There was no fixed stage. Instead, speakers addressed the crowd from a raised construction lift that hoisted them above the masses before being lowered after each address.

The opening remarks were delivered by Rav Yehoshua Nachman Berger, rosh yeshiva of Ohel Torah in Boro Park.

Rav Dovid Hershler of Eretz Yisroel conveyed the anguish of the detained bochurim.

Rav Anshil Ashkenazi, av beis din of Chavas Daas, voiced a passionate protest.

Rav Yaakov Horowitz, rosh yeshiva of Beis Meir, also spoke, and closing words were delivered by Rav Shlomo Shabsi Kestenbaum, dayan of Binyan Bracha of Kiryas Yoel.

The Rebbe of Bobov-45 led kabbolas ol malchus Shamayim at the conclusion.

Throughout the rally, the speakers decried the arrests of bnei yeshivos, who since the founding of the State had always been granted exemption from army service. They warned that today, bnei yeshiva are being imprisoned simply for learning Torah — “snatched,” as one speaker said, “for the crime of serving Hashem.”

{Matzav.com}

Prime Minister Netanyahu met Tuesday afternoon in Jerusalem with the head of Egyptian intelligence, his office announced. The meeting, held at the Prime Minister’s Office, was attended by Netanyahu’s senior professional staff. Discussions centered on advancing US President Donald Trump’s regional framework, strengthening ties between Israel and Egypt, and other key regional matters aimed at promoting stability and peace.

A historic evening unfolded in Yerushalayim as tens of thousands of bnei yeshiva from across Eretz Yisroel filled the Pais Arena for the monumental Amudei Olam gathering, an unprecedented display of kavod haTorah and achdus, organized by Ichud Bnei HaYeshivos.

Under the leadership of gedolei Yisroel — including Rav Dov Landau, Rav Moshe Hillel Hirsch, Rav Meir Tzvi Bergman, and Rav Don Segal — the massive crowd of bochurim heard fiery words of chizuk about their role as those who uphold the world through Torah, particularly in these challenging times.

The evening began with words of inspiration from Rav Dovid Breuer, followed by a thunderous joint rendition of “Vise’arev” and “Visein Chelkeinu Besorasecha,” accompanied by maestro Yehuda Galili, Benzi Stein, Beri Weber, and the Neshama and Malchus choirs.

A dramatic Rischa DeOraisa session then followed, with leading roshei yeshiva engaging in a spirited Torah debate, leaving the crowd inspired by the depth of ahavas haTorah.

As the gedolim — Rav Dov Landau, Rav Meir Tzvi Bergman, Rav Moshe Hillel Hirsch, and Rav Don Segal — entered the entire arena rose to its feet, singing “Yomim al yemei melech tosif” and “Ashrei ha’am,” as the walls of the arena shook.

Rav Dov Landau addressed the growing battle against the yeshiva world, declaring, “מי שנגד עולם הישיבות השם יפר עצתם במהרה.” He urged strengthening Torah learning in the face of external pressures. “They are fighting the world of Torah,” he said, “but the strength of bnei hayeshivos is to increase Torah and yiras Shamayim. In their merit, the world stands, and Klal Yisroel will be redeemed.”

Rav Moshe Hillel Hirsch delivered the central address, expressing anguish over the challenges to Torah learning in Eretz Yisroel. “It is a great tragedy that we do not have the right to learn Torah freely in Eretz Yisroel,” he exclaimed, referencing the draft issue and arrests of bochurim. “They are throwing bochurim into prison — perhaps because they are not learning enough? We must strengthen ourselves, eliminate divisive groups, and stand proudly and purely against those who oppose us.”

Rav Meir Tzvi Bergman followed with an impassioned call: “כולנו חייבים למסור נפש כנגד הגזירה הנוראה של הגיוס.” He praised the self-sacrifice of the bnei yeshiva for their Torah learning, saying, “Your mesirus nefesh is not only for yourselves but for so many others who might falter. We must all stand strong.”

The mashgiach, Rav Don Segal, urged the crowd to elevate their own esteem for Torah. “Disrespect for bnei Torah begins with us,” he said. “If we honor the learners and value Torah, Heaven will help us, and the entire world will recognize its greatness.” He concluded with a heartfelt rendition of his niggun “Tatte’le,” with the entire arena joining in song.

Rav Dovid Cohen, rosh yeshivas Chevron and nosi of the Ichud Bnei HaYeshivos, also spoke, calling for renewed hasmadah and concluding with kabbalas ol Malchus Shamayim together with the multitudes.

Additional remarks were delivered by Rav Aviezer Piltz and Rav Shimon Galai.

Public officials including MK Moshe Gafni, Jerusalem Deputy Mayor Eliezer Rauchberger, and Bnei Brak Deputy Mayor Menachem Shapira also spoke.

The event featured stirring musical interludes celebrating the “pillars of the world” — the bnei yeshiva — and continued late into the night in an atmosphere of unity and kiddush Hashem.

A planned kumzitz featuring Mordechai Ben David was canceled due to police restrictions.

PHOTOS:

{Matzav.com}