Israel’s Foreign Ministry issued a warning to Israelis in Greece to act cautiously on Sunday due to the scheduled “Day of Rage” protests scheduled by pro-Hamas groups. Protests are expected to take place in approximately 90 locations across the country, including at popular tourist sites and islands. The protests follow a series of antisemitic incidents across the country in recent weeks. The ministry reiterated the guidelines for safe conduct: • Stay away from demonstration centers and unplanned gatherings. • Avoid public arguments and expressing political opinions in public spaces. • Conceal overt identifying symbols (such as flags, shirts with Hebrew writing, IDF symbols). • Exercise vigilance in crowded areas, especially at sporting events, tourist sites, and on public transportation. • Stay in touch with family members and update them on your location. The Foreign Ministry recommends following these guidelines to ensure a safe vacation and visit. In an emergency, contact the local police in Greece at 100 and the general emergency service (police, ambulance, fire department at 112). You can also contact the Ministry of Foreign Affairs’ situation center at: 02/5303155 and the consulate’s emergency number in Athens +30 694 4271668. (YWN Israel Desk—Jerusalem)
THE GREAT DAY OF TU B’AV FOR TOGETHER FOR SHIDDUCHIM IS TODAY! HERE IS EVERYTHING YOU NEED FOR TODAY – GLOBAL TEFILLAH AND MORE! TODAY, KLAL YISRAEL IS RECITING 8 SPECIFIC KAPITLECH OF TEHILLIMGET THE TEHILLIM VIA WHATSAPP HERE OR DOWNLOAD BELOW TODAY, SUNDAY – FROM 10AM AND ONWATCH THE LIVE TEFILLAH EVENT LED BY GEDOLIM & RABBONIMSUBMIT NAMES FOR TEFILLAH IN AMUKA FOR FREE 718-690-2944 OR CLICK HERE THE GREAT DAY OF TU B’AV FOR TOGETHER IS TODAY! HERE IS EVERYTHING YOU NEED FOR TODAY TODAY, KLAL YISRAEL IS RECITING 8 SPECIFIC KAPITLECH OF TEHILLIMGET THE TEHILLIM VIA WHATSAPP HERE TO SUBMIT NAMES FOR FREE TO AMUKA, CLICK HEREVISIT TuBav.org CALL 1-718-690-2944 Klal Yisrael will davening for one another beginning at 10am on Sunday Aug 10 – reciting 8 specific kapitlach of Tehillim.📖Click here to download the FREE ArtScroll Tehillim There will be 2 Live Events with Rabbonim & Musical performances to watch online at www.TuBav.org Motzei Shabbos 8/9 @ 10:00 pm EDT: FREE LIVESTREAMED CONCERT WITH TODAY’S SUPERSTARS & DATING / MARRIAGE PANEL WITH EXPERTS SUNDAY 8/10 @ 10:00 am EDT: LIVE TEFILLAH EVENT WITH LEADING RABBANIM – SAY TEHILLIM TOGETHER WITH KLAL YISRAEL! WATCH LIVE AT TUBAV.org At the same time as Klal Yisrael davens, each in their part of the world, there will be a minyan of Talmidei Chachamim in Amuka, davening for all who submit their names for tefillah (it’s free) through Yad L’Achim. Visit TuBav.org (or call 1-718-690-2944 we are here to help!) Tu B’Av Together is a Yad L’Achim initiative founded in 2015. Shidduchim is a topic that truly brings the entire spectrum of Klal Yisroel together. Tu B’Av Together, a day for tefillah—for shidduchim—is recognizing the need to daven for this important aspect of the Jewish people. We have been zoche to have millions of Yidden involved in tefillah, and with every year, one Jewish tefillah at a time, we’ll bring shidduchim closer to those yearning. To share this special Tu B’Av Together program and free tefillah via WhatsApp, click here
As UTJ MK Meir Porush continues his “hunger strike” outside the office of Attorney-General Gali Baharav Miara in protest of the arrest and imprisonment of six bnei yeshivos for the “crime” of learning Torah, his son, former Elad mayor Yisrael Porush, was appointed as the chairman of a newly established legal aid center for bnei yeshivos in trouble with the law for the “crime” of limud Torah. The center, called Mercaz Magen U’Moshiah, was established at the direction of Gedolei Yisrael in order to provide a professional and comprehensive response in the campaign against the persecution of Lomdei Torah. Sources involved in establishing the center explained, “In the current situation, in light of the decree, there is enormous confusion, fear, and uncertainty. People who have never violated the slightest law are suddenly persecuted criminals fleeing from law enforcement agencies for the sin of limud Torah. Worried parents of yeshivah bochurim fear that their young son will face sudden arrest [and imprisonment].” “The Mercaz Magen U’Moshia was established as an official and comprehensive organization that will serve as the ‘ידא אריכתא’ (shaliach) of the Gedolei HaTorah—to implement its guidance and decisions. The center will establish a professional guidance system in yeshivos, provide legal and emotional support for detained bnei yeshivos and comprehensive assistance to their families, a 24-hour emergency hotline, and more. “The center will be staffed by lawyers, public relations professionals, educational experts, therapists, and volunteers.” (YWN Israel Desk—Jerusalem)
A Jewish passenger on a JetBlue flight was horrified when he received the kosher meal he ordered with the word “ZioNazi” written on the packaging. The StopAntisemitism watchdog group posted a photo of the tray, writing, “StopAntisemitism is sickened to see a JetBlue passenger receive his kosher meal with ‘ZioNazi’ written on it.” “Whoever is responsible for this must be immediately fired—this is not 1941, and Jews will NOT put up with this hate.” JetBlue responded to an inquiry by Ynet about the incident by stating, “We have zero tolerance for hatred, bias, or discrimination. The image circulating on social media is very disturbing to us and we have launched an immediate investigation to determine which flight this occurred on and who had access to the meals, including working closely with our catering partner at the airport. If we confirm that anyone associated with JetBlue or our catering operators was involved, we will take swift and appropriate action.” The incident is the second time within a week that Jewish passengers received kosher meals defaced with antisemitic slurs. As YWN reported last week, Jewish passengers on an Iberia flight from Buenos Aires to Madrid received their kosher food trays with the words “Free Palestine” or the initials “FP” scrawled on the packaging. (YWN Israel Desk—Jerusalem)
The chief U.S. oversight body for foreign aid is conducting multiple investigations into what it says is systemic Hamas theft of humanitarian assistance in Gaza — findings that directly undercut a recently leaked internal USAID report claiming there is “no evidence” of such diversion. According to a memo obtained by the Washington Free Beacon and confirmed by senior U.S. officials and congressional staff, the USAID inspector general’s office has collected evidence showing Hamas has commandeered U.N. aid trucks, embedded operatives inside U.N. facilities, and ensured that shipments are delivered directly to its officials. The memo describes “credible allegations of Hamas interference, diversion, and theft of humanitarian aid in Gaza” and outlines ongoing audits into fraud, smuggling, and terrorist infiltration of U.S.-funded programs. The findings stand in direct contradiction to the leaked USAID report — compiled by career staff before the agency’s shutdown in June — which relied heavily on U.N. data and found no systemic diversion. Unlike that internal report, the inspector general’s probes draw on whistleblowers, aid workers, and other on-the-ground sources who, officials say, fear retaliation if they report concerns through official channels. One former inspector general investigator told the Free Beacon he had “directly observed” multiple instances in which aid meant for civilians was diverted to Hamas. The watchdog’s investigations include probing USAID’s failure to prevent terrorist-linked individuals from working with its funded partners; reviewing whether proper safeguards existed for cash aid to NGOs in Gaza and the West Bank; examining attempts to stop Hamas-linked UNRWA staff from moving to other U.S.-funded agencies. In an April investigative summary, the inspector general said it found links between three current or former UNRWA employees and the October 7 terror attacks, and between 14 others and Hamas. A U.N. report on the matter redacted all names, making verification impossible. The office is also reviewing evidence that Hamas has attacked aid delivery sites — including firing mortars, grenades, and live rounds at civilians seeking food. A senior State Department official told the Free Beacon that intelligence from the probes confirms “a significant portion” of U.N. aid in Gaza is “diverted, looted, stolen, or ‘self-distributed’” by Hamas. The official said the chaos and violence at aid sites is “shockingly” underreported because it conflicts with “the international aid complex narrative.” On Capitol Hill, congressional staffers briefed on the findings are reviewing initial evidence. Israeli intelligence estimates that at least 12 percent of U.N. employees in Gaza belong to Hamas or other terrorist groups. Aid workers in Gaza say U.N. truck drivers routinely coordinate with Hamas, handing over portions of shipments in exchange for a cut. “Hamas controls everything in Gaza,” said Mohammad, a 35-year-old former Gaza resident now in Cairo. “If you’re not Hamas, you can’t get anything.” The inspector general’s office says it will continue working with the Justice Department to hold accountable any individuals or organizations involved in diverting U.S.-funded humanitarian aid. (YWN World Headquarters – NYC)
Two Local Lakewood Families Left Devastated by Raging Fire In the early morning of Thursday, August 7th, two respected local families were awoken at 4am by a devastating fire raging through their attached homes. Boruch Hashem, both families made it out alive. However, they are now left with almost nothing but the clothes on their backs. In an instant, they lost everything – their homes and all their possessions. They are now without a place to call home and with no clothing, furniture, or basic necessities. They had to watch sadly as everything they owned went up in smoke. The community is coming together to rally behind these families and raise the urgently needed amount of $500,000 to help put them back on their feet as they deal with the aftermath of this catastrophic occurrence. Your donation will go towards helping them rebuild their shattered lives from scratch. This campaign bears the active haskamah of Rav Yosef Zimbal shlita and Rav Zalman Sorotzkin shlita. When asked for a message for the community, Rav Zimbal simply cried out, “Hatzilu! Hatzilu!” Please donate today and help restore the lives of these families who lost so much, so quickly! https://www.charidy.com/westgatefire Thank you and tizku l’mitzvos.
Republican mayoral candidate Curtis Sliwa is urging President Donald Trump to steer clear of New York City’s high-stakes mayoral race, warning that his involvement would only strengthen progressive Democrat Zohran Mamdani’s campaign. Speaking on Fox 5’s Politics Unusual with Morgan McKay, the Guardian Angels founder admitted to a “love-hate relationship” with Trump but said the president’s political capital would be better spent elsewhere. “I would just say to the president, spend your time where it’s needed more — on geopolitical interests that affect all Americans. This election in New York City does not affect all Americans,” Sliwa said, confirming he has not spoken with Trump. The comments come amid reports from The New York Times that Trump has privately discussed the race, including holding recent talks with former Governor Andrew Cuomo. When asked if he was disappointed Trump spoke to Cuomo instead of him, Sliwa brushed it off, citing the long history between the Trump and Cuomo families. “They grew up together, side by side. Fred, the patriarch of the Trump family, supported Mario Cuomo. I get that,” he said. Sliwa argued that any Trump endorsement — regardless of the candidate — would shift the campaign narrative away from local issues and into a nationalized “Trump vs. Mamdani” spectacle, ultimately benefiting the Democratic frontrunner. “In this situation, it doesn’t help if he intervenes in New York City,” Sliwa said. “Every day it’s Trump versus Zohran Mamdani, it’s a good day for Zohran Mamdani. I talk the issues.” (YWN World Headquarters – NYC)
President Donald Trump announced he will hold a White House press conference Monday to unveil a plan he claims will “essentially stop violent crime” in the nation’s capital — and warned city leaders he is prepared to take direct federal control if they fail to act. In a Truth Social post on Saturday, Trump called Washington “one of the most dangerous cities anywhere in the world” and vowed to make it “one of the safest” under his watch. The announcement comes on the heels of a Trump-ordered surge in law enforcement across D.C., part of a seven-day crackdown that could be extended. The White House said federal officers have been directed to flood city streets with increased patrols to “protect innocent citizens” and ensure “no safe harbor for violent criminals.” “President Trump is committed to making our Nation’s capital safer for its residents, lawmakers, and visitors from all around the world,” Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said in a statement. Trump has escalated his rhetoric on D.C. crime in recent days, pointing to violent incidents and accusing city leadership of losing control. Earlier this week, he threatened to federalize the District, saying, “If D.C. doesn’t get its act together, and quickly, we will have no choice but to take Federal control of the City… and put criminals on notice that they’re not going to get away with it anymore.” Metropolitan Police Department data shows robberies, homicides, and assaults have dropped compared to 2024, but Trump has argued that the current crime rate remains unacceptable for the seat of the federal government. The president’s Monday press conference is expected to outline his next steps in what he has framed as a fight to restore order to the capital. (YWN World Headquarters – NYC)
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said France’s move to recognize a Palestinian state directly contributed to the collapse of ceasefire and hostage-release negotiations between Israel and Hamas, warning that such decisions reward terrorism and make peace harder to achieve. In an interview with the Catholic Eternal Word Television Network, Rubio said the talks “fell apart” the same day French President Emmanuel Macron announced Paris would unilaterally recognize Palestinian statehood. “And then you have other people come forward, other countries say, ‘well, if there is not a ceasefire by September, we’re going to recognize a Palestinian state,’” Rubio said. “If I’m Hamas, I’d basically conclude: let’s not do a ceasefire — we can be rewarded, we can claim it as a victory.” Rubio argued that while such announcements may be “largely symbolic” for foreign governments, they send the wrong message to the terror group, stiffening its resolve and undercutting efforts to secure the release of Israeli hostages. “So those messages… actually have made it harder to get peace and harder to achieve a deal with Hamas,” Rubio said. (YWN World Headquarters – NYC)
Iran has moved its remaining nuclear scientists into hiding after dozens were killed in Israel’s “Operation Rising Lion” targeting Tehran’s nuclear and ballistic missile programs, according to a report in The Telegraph. The British daily, citing a senior Iranian official, said more than 15 surviving researchers — among roughly 100 individuals identified on an alleged Israeli target list — have abandoned their homes and halted public lectures amid fears of renewed strikes. The scientists and their families have reportedly been relocated to heavily guarded villas in Tehran and along Iran’s northern coast. University lecturers tied to the program have been replaced with faculty members who have no involvement in nuclear research, the official said. The move follows the 12-day Israeli campaign in June that killed dozens of scientists connected to Iran’s nuclear efforts. Israeli security sources told The Telegraph that successors poised to fill the gaps left by those assassinations are “dead men walking,” even with heightened security measures in place. (YWN World Headquarters – NYC)
A Georgia man who opened fire on the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention headquarters, shooting dozens of rounds into the sprawling complex and killing a police officer, had blamed the COVID-19 vaccine for making him depressed and suicidal, a law enforcement official told The Associated Press on Saturday. The 30-year-old shooter also tried to get into the CDC’s headquarters in Atlanta but was stopped by guards before driving to a pharmacy across the street and opening fire late Friday afternoon, the official said. He was armed with five firearms, including at least one long gun, the official said, speaking condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to publicly discuss the investigation. DeKalb County Police Officer David Rose was mortally wounded while responding to the shooting. Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., whose skepticism of vaccine safety has been a cornerstone of his career, voiced support for CDC employees Saturday. But some laid-off CDC employees said Kennedy shares responsibility for the violence and called on him to resign. CDC shooter identified The Georgia Bureau of Investigation named Patrick Joseph White as the shooter, but authorities haven’t said whether he was killed by police or killed himself. The suspect’s father contacted police and identified his son as the possible shooter, the law enforcement official told AP. The father said his son had been upset over the death of the son’s dog, and had also become fixated on the COVID-19 vaccine, according to the official. The family lives in Kennesaw, Georgia, an Atlanta suburb about 25 miles (40 kilometers) northwest of CDC headquarters. A voicemail left at a phone number listed publicly for White’s family wasn’t immediately returned Saturday morning. Employees at the CDC are shaken The shooting left gaping bullet holes in windows across the CDC campus, where thousands work on critical disease research. Employees huddled under lockdown for hours while investigators gathered evidence. Staff was encouraged to work from home Monday or take leave. At least four CDC buildings were hit, Director Susan Monarez said on X. Sam Atkins, who lives in Stone Mountain, said outside the CVS pharmacy on Saturday that gun violence feels like “a fact of life” now. “This is an everyday thing that happens here in Georgia.” Kennedy reaches out to staff “We are deeply saddened by the tragic shooting at CDC’s Atlanta campus that took the life of officer David Rose,” Kennedy said Saturday. “We know how shaken our public health colleagues feel today. No one should face violence while working to protect the health of others.” Some rejected the expressions of solidarity Kennedy made in a “Dear colleagues” email, and called for his resignation. “Kennedy is directly responsible for the villainization of CDC’s workforce through his continuous lies about science and vaccine safety, which have fueled a climate of hostility and mistrust,” said Fired but Fighting, a group of laid-off employees pushing back against changes to the CDC by President Donald Trump’s administration . The group also called for the resignation of Russell Vought, pointing to a video recorded before Trump appointed him Office of Management and Budget director with orders to dismantle much of the federal government. “We want the bureaucrats to be traumatically affected,” Vought said in the video, obtained by ProPublica and the research group Documented. […]
US Secretary of State says that France’s announcement that it would recognize a Palestinian state led to a breakdown in hostage-ceasefire talks between Israel and Hamas and emboldens the Palestinian terror group. “Talks with Hamas fell apart on the day [French President Emanuel] Macron made the unilateral decision that he’s going to recognize the Palestinian state,” Rubio says in an interview with the Catholic Eternal Word Television Network.
Reb Boruch Levine and a group of Yeshiva bochurim made a Kumzits in Los Angeles on Erev Shabbos Nachamu for Rabbi Yitzi Hurwitz, who has been suffering from ALS for many years.
Georgia authorities have identified the suspected gunman who opened fire near the CDC headquarters and the Emory University campus in Atlanta that left one police officer dead and temporarily prompted a shelter-in-place and lockdown order.
A top official at the Federal Reserve said Saturday that this month’s stunning, weaker-than-expected report on the U.S. job market is strengthening her belief that interest rates should be lower. Michelle Bowman was one of two Fed officials who voted a week and a half ago in favor of cutting interest rates. Such a move could help boost the economy by making it cheaper for people to borrow money to buy a house or a car, but it could also threaten to push inflation higher. Bowman and a fellow dissenter lost out after nine other Fed officials voted to keep interest rates steady, as the Fed has been doing all year. The Fed’s chair, Jerome Powell, has been adamant that he wants to wait for more data about how President Donald Trump’s tariffs are affecting inflation before the Fed makes its next move. At a speech during a bankers’ conference in Colorado on Saturday, Bowman said that “the latest labor market data reinforce my view” that the Fed should cut interest rates three times this year. The Fed has only three meetings left on the schedule in 2025. The jobs report that arrived last week, only a couple of days after the Fed voted on interest rates, showed that employers hired far fewer workers last month than economists expected. It also said that hiring in prior months was much lower than initially thought. On inflation, meanwhile, Bowman said she is getting more confident that Trump’s tariffs “will not present a persistent shock to inflation” and sees it moving closer to the Fed’s 2% target. Inflation has come down substantially since hitting a peak above 9% after the pandemic, but it has been stubbornly remaining above 2%. The Fed’s job is to keep the job market strong, while keeping a lid on inflation. Its challenge is that it has one main tool to affect both those areas, and helping one by moving interest rates up or down often means hurting the other. A fear is that Trump’s tariffs could box in the Federal Reserve by sticking the economy in a worst-case scenario called “stagflation,” where the economy stagnates but inflation is high. The Fed has no good tool to fix that, and it would likely have to prioritize either the job market or inflation before helping the other. On Wall Street, expectations are that the Fed will have to cut interest rates at its next meeting in September after the U.S. jobs report came in so much below economists’ expectations. Trump has been calling angrily for lower interest rates, often personally insulting Powell while doing so. He has the opportunity to add another person to the Fed’s board of governors after an appointee of former President Joe Biden stepped down recently. (AP)
India shot down five Pakistani fighter jets and one other military aircraft during clashes in May, India’s air force chief said in the first such public claim by the country after its worst military conflict in decades with its neighbor
Q: “Will Zeleksky have to give up more territory, Mr. President?” President Trump: “We’re going to get some back. We’re going to get some switched. There will be some swapping of territories to the betterment of both.”
Zelenskyy rejects Trump’s proposal that Ukraine could swap territories with Russia Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy defiantly declared Saturday that his countrymen “will not give their land to occupiers,” after President Donald Trump suggested that a peace deal would include some “swapping” of territories with Russia. “The answer to Ukraine’s territorial question is already in the constitution of Ukraine,” Zelenskyy said in a message on Telegram early Saturday. “No one will and no one can deviate from it. Ukrainians will not give their land to the occupier.” His comments came after Trump announced on Truth Social that a long-awaited meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin had been scheduled for next Friday in Alaska.
