The IDF is trying to persuade high school girls to enlist in the army despite the exemptions they received for religious reasons, Kol B’Ramah reported on Sunday evening. According to the report, the IDF sent numerous SMS messages to religious and Charedi high school girls who had obtained exemptions, offering them to enlist. The girls reported that they receive dozens of messages a year, mainly with offers to serve in the Air Force and the Communications Corps. “We offer you to take another look at service in the IDF. If you are interested in us contacting you (without giving up the exemption you hold), you can fill out this survey,” some of the messages read. Another message from the army stated: “We invite you to take another look at service in the IDF, with an emphasis on positions in the Communications and Cyber Defense Division.” Some of the girls who reported the phenomenon study at Chabad mosdos that are officially in the state-religious stream, although in practice they are Charedi institutions in every respect. Many other girls are from the Dati-Leumi sector. Parents of girls who received the messages told Kol Barama that “this is chutzpah and harassment. If they sent one message, fine, but it’s one message every few weeks. The IDF’s conduct does not respect the sector.” The IDF did not deny the claims, reponding: “These are messages sent to women from the state-religious education system, according to the Ministry of Education’s records, where many of them are interested in the various tracks available in the IDF that are compatible with their lifestyle. It should be emphasized that this is merely an accessibility measure, without any obligation. The IDF is working to allow a wide range of populations to enlist and serve in a worthy manner that suits their lifestyle, including those who have received an exemption or are not required to enlist at all.” Earlier this month, Yesh Atid MK Shelly Tal Meron called for the enlistment of Chareidi girls to the IDF along with bnei yeshivos. (YWN Israel Desk – Jerusalem)
The IDF reports that it conducted airstrikes across the Gaza Strip today, destroying over 100 pickup trucks used by Hamas terrorists, including vehicles employed in the October 7, attacks, for transferring weapons, and in recent hostage release propaganda ceremonies, with one strike targeting a building storing several trucks.
The Orthodox Union Advocacy Center (OUA), the public policy arm of the Union of Orthodox Jewish Congregations of America, sent a letter today to Chairman James Risch (R-ID), Ranking Member Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), and all Senate Foreign Relations Committee members, urging them to confirm Governor Mike Huckabee as U.S. Ambassador to Israel, citing his strong support for Israel’s security and recognition of the Jewish people’s historical ties to the land of Israel.
Hundreds of Bnei Brak residents gathered Motzei Shabbos (Parshas Vayakhel-Para) at the Beis Medrash HaGadol Beis Hashem on Sokolov Street for a chizuk and hisorerus gathering focused on Kedusha and Tahara. The event featured divrei hisorerus from HaGaon HaRav Aviezer Pilz, Rosh Yeshivas Tifrach, and HaGaon HaRav Asher Arieli, senior maggid shiur at Yeshivas Mir. *PHOTOS BY SHUKI LERER FOR YWN*
Former U.S. Rep. Mia Love of Utah, a daughter of Haitian immigrants who became the first Black Republican woman elected to Congress, died Sunday. She was 49. Love’s family posted news of her death on Love’s X account. She had undergone recent treatment for brain cancer and received immunotherapy as part of a clinical trial at Duke University’s brain tumor center. Her daughter said earlier this month that the former lawmaker was no longer responding to treatment. Love died at her home in Saratoga Springs, Utah, according to a statement posted by the family. “With grateful hearts filled to overflowing for the profound influence of Mia on our lives, we want you to know that she passed away peacefully,” her family said. “We are thankful for the many good wishes, prayers and condolences.” Utah Gov. Spencer Cox referred to Love as a “true friend” and said her legacy of service inspired all who knew her. Love entered politics in 2003 after winning a seat on the city council in Saratoga Springs, a growing community about 30 miles (48 kilometers) south of Salt Lake City. She later became the city’s mayor. In 2012, Love narrowly lost a bid for the House against the Democratic incumbent, former Rep. Jim Matheson, in a district that covers a string of Salt Lake City suburbs. She ran again two years later and defeated first-time candidate Doug Owens by about 7,500 votes. Love didn’t emphasize her race during her campaigns, but she acknowledged the significance of her election after her 2014 victory. She said her win defied naysayers who had suggested that a Black, Republican, Mormon woman couldn’t win a congressional seat in overwhelmingly white Utah. She was briefly considered a rising star within the GOP and she kept her distance from Donald Trump, who was unpopular with many Utah voters, while he was running for president ahead of the 2016 election. In an op-ed published earlier this month in the Deseret News, Love described the version of America she grew up loving and shared her enduring wish for the nation to become less divisive. She thanked her medical team and every person who had prayed for her. Love said her parents immigrated to the U.S. with $10 in their pocket and a belief that hard work would lead to success. She said she was raised to believe passionately in the American dream and “to love this country, warts and all.” America at its roots is respectful, resilient, giving and grounded in gritty determination, she said. Her career in politics exposed Love to America’s ugly side, but she said it also gave her a front row seat to be inspired by people’s hope and courage. She shared her wish for neighbors to come together and focus on their similarities rather than their differences. “Some have forgotten the math of America — whenever you divide you diminish,” Love wrote. She urged elected officials to lead with compassion and communicate honestly with their constituents. “In the end, I hope that my life will have mattered and made a difference for the nation I love and the family and friends I adore,” Love wrote. “I hope you will see the America I know in the years ahead, that you will hear my words in the whisper of the wind […]
U.S. special envoy to the Middle East Steve Witkoff acknowledged Sunday that Hamas may have “duped” him during critical ceasefire negotiations earlier this month. Witkoff, who spearheaded efforts to extend the fragile truce in Gaza, had believed that his bridge proposal—a deal that could have halted hostilities through mid-April—had been accepted by the terror group. But Hamas pulled back, shattering hopes for a prolonged ceasefire. “I thought we had an acceptable deal. I even thought we had an approval from Hamas. Maybe that’s just me getting duped,” Witkoff admitted during an interview on Fox News Sunday. “I thought we were there, and evidently, we weren’t.” The envoy had traveled to Doha on March 12 to present his plan, which proposed that Hamas release five living hostages in exchange for a larger number of Palestinian security prisoners. Israel, for its part, agreed to the deal, even offering to free 11 living hostages. But Hamas refused to move forward. For weeks, Hamas had insisted on advancing to the second phase of a previous deal—terms that would have required Israel to withdraw completely from Gaza and agree to an indefinite halt to the war. Israel resisted, and negotiations ground to a halt. Then, on March 14, Hamas made a counteroffer: the release of the last living American-Israeli hostage, along with the remains of four U.S.-Israeli citizens. Witkoff dismissed the proposal as a “non-starter.” Four days later, Israel resumed military operations, marking the collapse of a two-month ceasefire. “This is on Hamas,” Witkoff said bluntly. “The United States stands with the State of Israel. That’s a 100% commitment.” The U.S. envoy also issued a pointed message to Iran, reinforcing Washington’s position on nuclear nonproliferation. “Our signal to Hamas and to Iran is clear—let’s sit down and see if diplomacy can bring us to the right place,” Witkoff said. “If we can, we’re prepared to do that. If we can’t, the alternative is not a great alternative.” U.S. National Security Adviser Mike Waltz echoed those sentiments in a separate interview on CBS’s Face the Nation, asserting that Washington’s stance remains firm: Iran must fully dismantle its nuclear program. “All options are on the table,” Waltz warned. “It is time for Iran to walk away completely from its desire to have a nuclear weapon.” Meanwhile, the U.S. has intensified its military response against Iran-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen, following a series of brazen attacks on key maritime routes. “The last time one of our destroyers went through the straits there, it was attacked 23 times,” Waltz revealed. “Seventy-five percent of our U.S.-flagged shipping now has to reroute around Africa instead of passing through the Suez Canal. Keeping trade and commerce open is a fundamental aspect of our national security.” (YWN World Headquarters – NYC)
FBI Director Kash Patel says, “The FBI’s Most Wanted Top 10 are now in custody. Before I got into this seat, do you know how many most wanted were arrested by the FBI? Zero. 4 weeks in, we got 3, and we’re just warming up.”
Overnight, IDF, ISA, and Israel Police forces carried out counterterrorism operations in Judea and Samaria, apprehending 18 wanted suspects, including terrorists from the Jenin network, while also confiscating explosive devices, munitions, and weapons in Yata, with the suspects and seized items subsequently transferred to the ISA and Israel Police’s Samaria and Judea District for further processing.
Maj. Gen. (res.) Amir Baram has officially taken over as Defense Ministry director general. Outgoing director and current IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir attended the handover ceremony, while Itamar Graf had served as acting director in the interim.
ELIMINATED – WAS ON THE JOB FOR ONE WEEK! The IDF and Shin Bet have confirmed that Ismail Barhoum, a senior Hamas official, was eliminated in an overnight airstrike on Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis. Shortly after the strike, Defense Minister Israel Katz announced Barhoum’s death, a claim later confirmed by Hamas.
Earlier today, an IDF soldier suffered moderate injuries due to a parachute accident near the Tzeelim base in southern Israel. The event took place during a standard training drill.
The Israeli Air Force carried out strikes on several empty pickup trucks and other industrial vehicles across the Gaza Strip, according to Palestinian media reports. Such vehicles are commonly used by Hamas’s military wing.
The United States is halfway to the next once-a-decade census, but the Supreme Court is still dealing with lawsuits that grew out of the last one. The justices on Monday are taking up a challenge to Louisiana’s congressional map, which was drawn so that, for the first time, two of its six districts have majority Black populations that elected Black Democrats to Congress. Black Louisianans make up about one-third of the state’s population. Just two years ago, the court ruled 5-4 that Alabama discriminated against Black voters by adopting a congressional map with just one majority Black district, in violation of the landmark federal Voting Rights Act. The Louisiana case features an unusual alliance of the Republican-led state government, which added a second majority Black district to essentially comply with the Alabama ruling, and civil rights groups that more often find themselves fighting the state’s redistricting plans. A decision should come by late June. How did we get here? It has been a winding road. The court fight over Louisiana’s congressional districts has lasted three years. Two maps were blocked by lower courts, and the Supreme Court has intervened twice. Most recently, the court ordered the new map to be used in the 2024 election. The state’s Republican-dominated legislature drew a new congressional map in 2022 to account for population shifts reflected in the 2020 Census. But the changes effectively maintained the status quo of five Republican-leaning majority white districts and one Democratic-leaning majority Black district. Civil rights advocates won a lower court ruling that the districts likely discriminated against Black voters. The Supreme Court put the ruling on hold while it took up the Alabama case. The justices allowed both states to use congressional maps in the 2022 elections even though both had been ruled likely discriminatory by federal judges. The high court eventually affirmed the ruling from Alabama, which led to a new map and a second district that could elect a Black lawmaker. The justices returned the Louisiana case to federal court, with the expectation that new maps would be in place for the 2024 elections. The 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals gave lawmakers in Louisiana a deadline of early 2024 to draw a new map or face the possibility of a court-imposed map. The state complied and drew a new map. The court must decide: politics or race? One of the questions before the court is whether race was the predominant factor driving the new map. That’s what white Louisiana voters claimed in their separate lawsuit challenging the new districts. A three-judge court agreed. But Gov. Jeff Landry, a Republican, and other state officials argue that politics, not race, helped set the boundaries. The congressional map provides politically safe districts for House Speaker Mike Johnson and Majority Leader Steve Scalise, fellow Republicans. The decision “reflects the imminent reality that Louisiana would be projected to lose one of five Republican congressional seats” when a court or the legislature adopted a second majority Black district, state Attorney General Elizabeth Murrill wrote in court papers. Some lawmakers have also noted that the Republican lawmaker whose district was greatly altered in the new map supported a GOP opponent of Landry in the 2023 governor’s race. Former Rep. Garret Graves chose not to seek reelection under the new map. The Supreme Court faces a lurking issue […]
