PM Bibi Netanyahu participated in the cornerstone-laying ceremony for the President Trump’s promenade in Bat Yam, together with Mike Huckabee, Bat Yam Mayor Tzvi Brot and members of the Bat Yam City Council.
For the first time since his hospitalization, the Gerrer Rebbe appeared this evening before thousands of his Chassidim, who broke out in joyous song after Selichos upon seeing their Rebbe.
The New York Times reports that on the day Charlie Kirk was killed, the FBI released images of a suspect, and a Discord acquaintance jokingly tagged Tyler Robinson, 22, noting the resemblance. Robinson dismissed it as a “doppelganger,” but roughly 34 hours later, he was arrested on suspicion of Kirk’s assassination.
Not all Sukkahs are created equal – here are four things you’ll want to double-check before you buy, unless you enjoy last-minute Home Depot runs on Erev Yom Tov. (We’ve seen it happen. Not pretty.) Beware the Photoshop Sukkah Some Sukkahs online look like they were lifted straight from Architectural Digest. Then the delivery shows up and – surprise – it looks like a science fair project gone wrong. At The Sukkah Store, buyers get real photos and even video walk-throughs so there are no surprises. Whoever you choose, make sure you can see the unfiltered version. Customer Service That Answers You’re mid-build, one pole short, and Erev Yom Tov is ticking down. Do you want to scream “REPRESENTATIVE!” into a robot, or get through to a human who can actually ship you the missing part? Before buying, give the company a test call. The Sukkah Store makes sure a real person answers – and so should anyone worth buying from. FAQs You’ll Actually Want to Read Don’t skip the fine print – ask these ahead of time: Warranty: Does it last a season, or years? (The Sukkah Store, for example, offers five years – something like that is a solid benchmark.) Returns: Can you return it? Is shipping covered? Is there a cut-off date? (One common deadline is right before Sukkot) Damage in transit: Do they fix it fast or make you wrestle with UPS? (Look for policies where they send replacements right away) Assembly: Some Sukkahs still come with pages of tools and instructions that would stump an engineer. Look for tool-free connectors that twist and tighten in minutes – the kind The Sukkah Store uses – so your Sukkah can be up in under an hour. Expandability: Many Sukkahs are one-size-forever. Smarter designs, like the modular systems The Sukkah Store carries, let you just add wall panels and grow year after year. If your guest list expands, your Sukkah should too. Everything in the Box No one wants a Home Depot run on Erev Chag. A complete kit should include the frame, walls, Kosher l’Mehadrin bamboo Schach mats, and bamboo support poles for the Schach. The Sukkah Store ships all of these in their full bundle kit, so whoever you’re buying from, ask for a packing list and check it off on delivery. Bottom line: Whether you buy from The Sukkah Store or somewhere else, do your due diligence. Real photos, reachable humans, clear policies, simple setup, and room to grow – that’s the recipe for a stress-free Yom Tov. After that, the only debate is where to hang the lights. Want to see what this all looks like in real life? Check out The Sukkah Store – real photos, real people, and maybe even some inspiration for where to hang those lights.
YWN regrets to inform you of the petirah of Rav Dovid Kaminetsky zt”l, Rosh Machon Pirkei Eliezer, and the son of Harav Shmuel Kaminetsky shlita’, Rosh Yeshivas Philadelphia and Nasi of the Moetzes Gedolei HaTorah. Rav Dovid was 68 years old. The niftar was born in the United States on 22 Nissan 5717 (1957) to his father, Rav Shmuel shlit”a, who still needs a refuah sheleimah, and to his mother, Rebbetzin Tema Kaminetsky a”h. He grew up in the shadow of his illustrious grandfather, Harav Yaakov Kaminetsky zt”l, Rosh Yeshivas Torah Vodaas and member of the Moetzes Gedolei HaTorah of Agudas Yisroel in America. In due time he married his rebbetzin, Mrs. Esther tblch”t, the daughter of Rav Mordechai Neustadt zt”l of Bnei Brak, who led Vaad LeHatzolas Nidchei Yisroel. Settling in Eretz HaKodesh, he made his home in Yerushalayim and dedicated his life to Torah research, becoming a primary address for all matters relating to the Torah of the Vilna Gaon. He founded Machon Pirkei Eliezer and over the years produced numerous works which stirred much discussion in the olam haTorah. Rav Dovid also served as one of the editors of the Schottenstein Shas in both Hebrew and English, and was among the founding members of the Torah journal Yeshurun. In addition, he gave shiurim as a maggid shiur in Yeshivas Darchei Noam in Yerushalayim. The noted chassidishe researcher Rav Yisroel Alter Groibis, editor of Kolmus, shared his recollections: “Rav Dovid zt”l was a true yodea sefer. To one who only read his writings, he may have appeared as a sharp polemicist and a fighter for emes — which he surely was. But anyone who met him quickly saw a person of noble character, broad heart, and generosity of spirit. He was filled with ahavas Yisroel. Personally, as a chossid, I received only good from him. He shared the fruits of his knowledge freely, without self-interest, and he treated others with kindness and humility. Despite his brilliance and sharp mind, he would lower himself to meet the level of his interlocutor, with goodwill and a full heart.” Rav Dovid zt”l leaves behind sons and daughters, sons-in-law, grandchildren and great-grandchildren, who follow in his ways. Baruch Dayan Ha’Emes.
It is with deep regret that YWN informs you of the petirah of HaRav Daniel Lehrfield zt”l, Rosh Yeshivas Beis Yisroel in Neve Yaakov, Yerushalayim. He was 83 years old. Rav Lehrfield zt”l was born in Chicago to his father HaRav Yehuda Leib Lehrfield zt”l, one of the founders of the local kehillah. At the young age of sixteen, he left his family and traveled to Eretz Yisroel to learn Torah. He grew in gadlus in the hallowed walls of Yeshivas Mir and Chevron, where he became beloved to all his Rabbeim. When the time came, he married in America, to his rebbetzin, the daughter of HaRav Shlomo Yosef Chill zt”l — a veteran talmid of the Mir from before the war, a marbitz Torah in America, and a close talmid of the Rosh Yeshiva, Rav Aharon Kotler zt”l, and Rav Yitzchok Hutner zt”l. He was also active in Vaad Hatzalah after the war. After his chasunah, Rav Daniel learned in Rav Hutner’s Kollel Gur Aryeh in Crown Heights. At the age of twenty-eight, he moved permanently to Eretz Yisroel, first learning in the Kollel of Rav Kreiswirth zt”l in Gilo. Later, he became a maggid shiur in Yeshivas HaNegev under the leadership of Harav Yissachar Meir zt”l. During those years, he would spend the entire week in the Yeshiva and only return to his family in Yerushalayim for Shabbos, staying in the Rosh Yeshiva’s home during the week. In later years, Rav Doniel zt”l served as Rosh Yeshiva in several mosdos, and about forty years ago, he founded Yeshivas Beis Yisroel, originally in Beis Vagan, and later in Neve Yaakov. The yeshiva was known as a makom Torah especially for bochurim from Chutz La’aretz. Rav Lehrfield zt”l was known as an outstanding talmid chochom and amkan, who raised thousands of talmidim in Torah and yiras Shamayim over the decades. His shiurim were deep, clear, and fiery, planting in his talmidim a lifelong love of Torah. He was admired for his anivus, yashrus, and ehrlichkeit. He maintained close ties with Gedolei Yisroel from across the spectrum, among them Rav Shach zt”l, Rav Aharon Leib Shteinman zt”l, Rav Chaim Zimmerman zt”l, and Rav Berel Soloveitchik zt”l. In recent years, he was also close with Harav Shaul Alter shlit”a. Rav Lehrfield zt”l was mechaber over forty seforim, including Binas Daniel on Shas and Chemdas Daniel on Aggadah. He leaves behind sons who are marbitzei Torah — among them Rav Moshe, Rosh Yeshivas Beis Yisroel, Rav Yisroel, maggid shiur in Beis Yisroel, Rav Naftali, Rosh Kollel and Rav in Shaarei Chesed, Rav Shlomo, maggid shiur in Beis Yisroel, and Rav Yehuda, Rosh Kollel Hadar Yosef and R”M in Mishkan Yaakov — as well as sons-in-law who are prominent marbitzei Torah, including Rav Yisroel Landa, Rosh Yeshivas Heichal Yitzchak, Rav Akiva Aderet of Lakewood, Rav Aryeh Buxbaum of Machon Yerushalayim, and Rav Eliezer Grinsfeld of Yeshivas Heichal Yitzchak and Migdal Oz. He is further survived by many grandchildren and great-grandchildren who are continuing in his derech of Torah and avodah. (YWN World Headquarters – NYC)
Weleda, a Swiss-based natural cosmetics company with a cult following for its baby creams and skin care lines, announced it will launch an independent investigation into its Nazi-era history following revelations that its products were tested on concentration camp prisoners in Dachau during World War II. The disclosure, unearthed by German historian Anne Sudrow in a new book published under the auspices of the Dachau memorial, ties the company directly to some of the regime’s most grotesque human experiments. Nazi doctors, including SS physician Sigmund Rascher, subjected roughly 300 camp prisoners to ice-water submersion tests to determine whether a Weleda skin cream could prevent frostbite in German soldiers. Between 80 and 90 victims died in the process. Sudrow reported that former Weleda employees not only helped oversee the experiments but also reported results back to company management. She also documented that the firm benefited from Dachau’s forced labor, buying medicinal herbs cultivated by prisoners at reduced cost. The revelations contradict the company’s previous in-house research. As recently as last year, Weleda maintained there was no evidence linking it to Nazi medical abuses. A corporate webpage describing its activities from 1933 to 1945 emphasized alleged persecution by the regime while insisting the company did not participate in “inhumane policies.” That page was quietly removed this week. “All of this new research gives us reason to revisit our history in depth with a large, independent study,” Weleda CEO Tina Müller said in a statement, pledging a two-year review. The company also issued a broad denunciation of Nazism, declaring, “Fascism, anti-Semitism, racism, or right-wing extremist ideology have no place in our company. ‘Never again’ expresses our stance.” Founded in Germany in 1921 and shaped by Rudolf Steiner’s anthroposophical movement, Weleda grew into one of Europe’s most prominent producers of natural cosmetics, today operating in 50 countries with revenues exceeding €450 million. Its diaper cream has become a niche staple in the United States. Weleda’s reckoning follows a pattern set by other major German firms, including automakers and banks, which have commissioned independent studies into their wartime activities and contributed to Holocaust remembrance initiatives. In 2019, the Reimann family, heirs to a consumer goods empire, created the Alfred Landecker Foundation after admitting their predecessors used forced labor under the Nazis. (YWN World Headquarters – NYC)
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio says he will be seeking answers from Israeli officials about how they see the way forward in Gaza following Israel’s attack on Hamas operatives in Qatar that has upended efforts to broker an end to the conflict. Rubio told reporters on Saturday before leaving for Israel that President Donald Trump remained unhappy with the Israeli strike but that it would not shake U.S. support for Israel. “We’re going to talk about what the future holds, and I’m going to get a much better understanding of what their plans are moving forward,” Rubio said. “Obviously we’re not happy about it. The president was not happy about it. Now we need to move forward and figure out what comes next.” Both Rubio and Trump met on Friday with Qatar’s prime minister to discuss the fallout from the Israeli operation, in a demonstration of how the Trump administration is trying to balance relations between key Middle East allies days after Israel targeted Hamas leaders in a strike on Doha. The attack has drawn widespread international condemnation and appears to have ended attempts to secure an Israel-Hamas ceasefire and the release of hostages ahead of the upcoming U.N. General Assembly session at which the Gaza war is expected to be a primary focus. Trump “wants Hamas defeated, he wants the war to end, he wants all 48 hostages home, including those that are deceased, and he wants it all at once,” he said. “And we’ll have to discuss about how the events last week had an impact on the ability to achieve that in short order.” Rubio will have meetings in Jerusalem on Sunday and Monday with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and others. It is a show of support for the increasingly isolated country before the United Nations holds likely contentious debate on the creation of a Palestinian state, which Netanyahu opposes. On Friday, Rubio and Vice President JD Vance met Qatari Prime Ministers Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani at the White House. Later Friday, Trump and special envoy Steve Witkoff had dinner with the sheikh in New York, where Trump went to commemorate the anniversary of the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks. The Trump administration is walking a delicate line between two major allies after Israel took its fight with Hamas to the Qatari capital, where leaders of the terrorist group had gathered to consider a U.S. proposal for a ceasefire in the nearly two-year-old war in Gaza. Qatar is a key mediator, and while its leaders have vowed to press forward, the next steps are uncertain for a long-sought deal to halt the fighting and release hostages taken from Israel. (AP)
Tyler Robinson, the 22-year-old accused of assassinating conservative activist Charlie Kirk, was living with a male roommate who identifies as a woman, according to law enforcement sources. The individual, whose name has not been publicly released, is now cooperating with the FBI as investigators comb through what they have called a “mountain of evidence” connected to the case. The relationship between Robinson and his roommate was first reported by Fox News’ Brooke Singman. Public records show that 22-year-old Lance Twiggs resided at the same townhouse as Robinson. A family member told reporters that the two were roommates but declined to speculate further on the nature of their relationship. Neighbors described unusual activity at the $1,800-per-month rental in recent weeks, with multiple out-of-state cars coming and going. One resident remarked, “They did not give off a good vibe.” Robinson struck Kirk in the neck with a single shot during the Turning Point USA founder’s “American Comeback Tour” appearance at Utah Valley University on September 10. Just seconds before, Kirk had been answering a pointed question about the role of men identifying as women in mass shootings. “Too many,” Kirk replied, before clarifying his answer — only to be gunned down moments later. Investigators say the roommate’s communications with Robinson, including Discord messages, provided crucial evidence for prosecutors to pursue an aggravated murder charge carrying the death penalty. The FBI also uncovered that Robinson had etched taunting phrases into the bullets used in the attack, including one that read: “Hey fascist! catch!” Raised in a conservative Mormon family, Robinson was described by Utah Governor Spencer Cox as “deeply indoctrinated with leftist ideology.” Authorities say his radicalization appears to have intensified in recent years, even as he clashed with family members over Kirk’s views. Robinson, who once boasted of long-range marksmanship, surrendered after being confronted by his father and speaking with a youth minister. He is being held on capital charges as investigators continue to probe his ties, his roommate’s cooperation, and his motivations. (YWN World Headquarters – NYC)
Federal prosecutors have charged a 19-year-old New Mexico man with making violent online threats to kill Jews, minorities, and a local elected official in the immediate aftermath of conservative activist Charlie Kirk’s assassination. The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of New Mexico announced Friday that Jace Allen of Jamestown was arrested after the FBI traced a barrage of extremist posts to his phone. According to the Justice Department, Allen used an alias account to issue “a series of violent and racist threats” on September 11, the day after Kirk, the founder of Turning Point USA, was gunned down during a campus event in Utah. Among the threats, prosecutors said, Allen declared his intent to commit mass murder, target minorities and Jews, and “shoot up” unspecified locations. He also allegedly singled out an Ohio city council member, telling the official, “You’re gonna be one of the first to die.” FBI agents executed a search at Allen’s home and questioned him. The Justice Department said Allen admitted to making the threats, described himself as a Neo-Nazi, and told investigators he “hates Jews and minorities” and hoped to ignite a civil war through online terror. Though Allen claimed he did not own a firearm, agents uncovered videos on his phone showing him firing both a rifle and a handgun in August. Allen has been charged with transmitting interstate threats, a federal offense carrying a maximum sentence of five years in prison. (YWN World Headquarters – NYC)
Ten F-35B Lightning IIs from the U.S. Marine Corps’ 3rd MAW arrived in eastern Puerto Rico today to support counter-narcotics and anti-cartel operations off Latin America, mainly Venezuela.
US troops were filmed seizing a Venezuelan fishing boat in the country’s exclusive economic zone, with their vessel pulling alongside the fishermen and the American warship USS Jason Dunham visible in the background.
Zohran Mamdani, the Democratic nominee for mayor of New York City, declared again that if elected, he would order the New York Police Department to arrest Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu should he enter the city. “This is something that I intend to fulfill,” Mamdani told The New York Times, vowing to enforce an arrest warrant issued by the International Criminal Court (ICC) accusing Netanyahu of war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza. The United States does not recognize the authority of the ICC, and legal experts said Mamdani’s threat is likely unenforceable. “Such an arrest has never been made on American soil,” Matthew C. Waxman, a professor at Columbia Law School, told The Times, calling Mamdani’s pledge “more a political stunt than a serious law enforcement policy.” Federal law grants immunity to foreign heads of state, and absent violations of state or city statutes, New York officials would have no authority to act. Still, Mamdani insisted that cities and states must act where Washington will not. “This is a moment where we cannot look to the federal government for leadership,” he said. “This is a moment when cities and states will have to demonstrate what it actually looks like to stand up for our own values, our own people.” Mamdani has already drawn criticism for refusing to condemn the chant “globalize the intifada,” an antisemitic slogan he said he discourages but will not denounce. With New York home to the world’s second-largest Jewish population, his comments could spark sharp backlash ahead of the November election, where he currently leads in the polls by a wide margin. Netanyahu brushed off Mamdani’s threats in July during remarks at the White House, calling them “silly” and “not serious.” He added, “I’m going to come there with President Trump and we’ll see.” Trump, standing beside him, warned Mamdani to “behave” or face “big problems.” Mamdani also said he would seek to detain Russian President Vladimir Putin, who faces an ICC arrest warrant issued in 2023. (YWN World Headquarters – NYC)
Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk said Poland has raised its ground-based air defenses to the highest state of readiness and scrambled Polish and allied fighter jets after Russian one-way attack drones were detected over western Ukraine near Polish airspace. Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk said Poland has raised its ground-based air defenses to the highest state of readiness and scrambled Polish and allied fighter jets after Russian one-way attack drones were detected over western Ukraine near Polish airspace.
