Parched Southern California was forecast to face more dangerous winds on Wednesday but could get some needed rain this weekend, dampening prospects of another round of deadly wildfires while raising the possibility of challenges like toxic ash runoff. Los Angeles officials were preparing for that prospect even as some residents were allowed to return to the devastated Pacific Palisades and Altadena areas and firefighters extinguished small blazes that broke out during gusty weather expected to last through Thursday. “We’re going to see another round of critical fire conditions across Southern California,” Todd Hall, a National Weather Service meteorologist, said in an interview Wednesday morning. “At this point, it sounds like a broken record.” Mayor Karen Bass issued an executive order Tuesday to expedite cleanup efforts in burn areas and mitigate the environmental impacts of fire-related pollutants. She ordered crews to remove vegetation, shore up hillsides, install barriers and reinforce roads ahead of the possible weekend rain, which could create mud and debris flows. Los Angeles County supervisors also approved an emergency motion to install flood control infrastructure and expedite and remove sediment in fire-impacted areas. A 60% to 80% chance of a small amount of rain was forecast for Southern California starting Saturday, with most areas likely getting not more than a third of an inch (0.8 centimeters), according to Ryan Kittell, a meteorologist for the weather service’s office for Los Angeles. However up to an inch (2 1/2 centimeters) could fall in localized thunderstorms, which would be a worst-case scenario if enough flows on scorched hillsides to trigger debris. “But even if the rain doesn’t materialize this time, it could be a good practice run for those communities because this will be a threat that they’ll have to deal with for months or years,” Kittell said. Fire crews were filling sandbags for communities. In 2018, Montecito, a town 80 miles (130 kilometers) up the coast from Los Angeles, was ravaged by mudslides after a downpour hit mountain slopes burned bare by a huge wildfire. Twenty-three people died, and hundreds of homes were damaged. Winds eased somewhat Tuesday afternoon after peaking at 60 mph (96 kph) in many areas, but gusty conditions were expected to continue. Red flag warnings for critical fire risk were extended through 8 p.m. Thursday in LA and Ventura counties. “Our concern is the next fire, the next spark that causes the next wildfire,” said David Acuna, a spokesman with the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, or Cal Fire. Another worry was that two major blazes, the Palisades and Eaton fires, could break their containment lines as firefighters continue to watch for hot spots. Fire engines and water-dropping aircraft positioned strategically allowed crews to swiftly douse several small blazes that popped up in LA and San Diego counties, officials said. Evacuation orders were lifted Tuesday for the Friars Fire, which broke out near a San Diego mall, and partially for the Lilac Fire, which burned through dry brush after threatening some structures, Cal Fire said. Nearby crews fully contained the Pala Fire, another small blaze. The Clay Fire in Riverside was 40% contained Tuesday night and evacuation orders were lifted. Southern California Edison on Tuesday preemptively shut off power to more than 60,000 customers in five counties to prevent new fires from being sparked […]
Join Rebitzen Spetner’s thousands of students from around the world who have transformed themselves, their homes, and their relationships with their children. Course Schedule: Lakewood: Fundamental chinuch Course: Dates: Feb 22-March 1 (evening classes)Topics: Discipline, Filling children’s emotional needs, Sibling rivalry, Ruchnius Alumni classes: Anxiety – Feb. 19, 10 AM Bein Adam Lechavaro – Feb 25-26 10 AM Five Towns: Fundamental chinuch Course: Dates: Feb 17-Feb 23 (evening classes)Topics: Discipline, Filling children’s emotional needs, Sibling rivalry, Ruchnius Rebitzen Sima Spetner is a venerable parenting and chinuch specialist from Eretz Yisroel who has been teaching chinuch classes for decades. Her warm, engaging classes are filled with Torah hashkafah and practical ideas. Rebitzen Spetner was trained directly by Rav Shlomo Wolbe, and received haskamah from leading gedolim. Recordings of the classes will be given exclusively to course participants. To register: Fundamental Course: send an email to beginner@spetner.org – You will receive an email with online registration. For alumni: send an email to alumnireg@spetner.org – You will receive an email with online registration For general info (call/ text) Esti Hirshfeld – 718-578-2128Or email: seminar@spetner.org
A three alarm fire ripped through a private home on East 38 Street near Avenue I last night. Four occupants suffered various injuries. Houses on either side of the burning home were also evacuated as firefighters spent hours battling the flames in bitter temperatures. The FDNY says they had difficulty fighting the fire as hydrants were frozen. The cause of the fire is being investigated.
Mossad chief David Barnea and Shin Bet chief Ronen Bar recently held discussions in Cairo with Egyptian intelligence chief Hassan Mahmoud Rashad, focusing on security arrangements for key areas along the Gaza-Egypt border, according to a report by Asharq Al-Awsat. Discussions centered on the Philadelphi Corridor, a stretch parallel to the Gaza-Egypt border, and the Rafah Crossing, a critical passage point for people and goods. A source revealed to the publication that an agreement was reached for the Palestinian Authority to manage the Rafah Crossing under international supervision led by the United Nations. As part of the arrangement, Egypt would help establish a comprehensive inspection system for the Netzarim Corridor, which separates northern and southern Gaza. The inspections, to be conducted on vehicles crossing the corridor, would be managed by an Egyptian-American company. Under the terms of the agreement, the IDF is expected to withdraw from the corridor, with inspections focusing solely on vehicles while pedestrians would pass unchecked. However, no consensus was reached regarding the Philadelphi Corridor. Despite this, a source told Asharq Al-Awsat, “The differences of opinion are technical, and they will be resolved.” In response to the report, the Prime Minister’s Office issued a statement on Wednesday morning, dismissing claims that the Palestinian Authority has full control over the Rafah Crossing. According to the statement: “The report is incorrect despite efforts by the Palestinian Authority to create a false picture to the effect that it controls the crossing. According to the agreement, IDF forces are positioned around the crossing, and there is no passage without the supervision, oversight, and advance approval of the IDF and the ISA. The technical management inside the crossing is being carried out by Gazans not affiliated with Hamas, with security provided by the ISA, who have been managing civilian services in the Strip, such as electricity, water, and sewage, since the start of the war. Their work is supervised by the international EUBAM force. The only practical involvement of the Palestinian Authority is its stamp on the passports, which, according to the existing international arrangement, is the only way Gazans may leave the Strip to enter, or be received in, other countries. This procedure is correct for the first stage of the framework and will be evaluated in the future.” Previously, a Hamas source indicated that the group did not object to the PA taking control of the Rafah Crossing. This aligns with Egypt’s position that the crossing should remain under Palestinian and Egyptian management, excluding Israeli involvement. (YWN World Headquarters – NYC)
Israeli security forces, including the IDF, ISA, and Israel Border Police, launched a large-scale counterterrorism operation dubbed “Wall of Iron” in the Jenin area on Tuesday, targeting terrorist infrastructure and neutralizing active threats. In the past 24 hours, over 10 terrorists have been targeted, multiple terror infrastructure sites struck, and numerous explosives planted by terrorists dismantled. The IDF said that the operation is still ongoing and will continue as long as necessary to achieve its objectives. “The operation has clear objectives: to maintain the IDF’s freedom of operation in all of Yehuda and Shomron and to destroy and neutralize terrorist infrastructure and ‘ticking time bombs,'” the IDF said in a statement. “Operation Wall of Iron in the Jenin ‘refugee camp’ will bring about a change in the IDF’s security perspective,” Defense Minister Yisrael Katz said. “We will not allow the arms of the Iranian octopus and radical Sunni Islam to endanger settlers or create an eastern terror front against the State of Israel. We will powerfully attack the arms of the octopus until they are cut off,” he added. Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu revealed that the operation is part of a broader strategy to strengthen security in Yehuda and Shomron, noting that it was approved by the Security Cabinet. “We are working systematically and with determination against the Iranian axis in every place it sends its tendrils – Gaza, Lebanon, Syria, Yemen, Yehuda and Shomron – and there’s more to come,” Netanyahu said. (YWN World Headquarters – NYC)
The Knesset’s Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee convened on Tuesday to discuss the recruitment law presented last week by Defense Minister Yisrael Katz. Deputy Attorney General Gil Limon who attended the meeting, slammed the law, saying that Katz’s plan to recruit 50% of bnei yeshivos within seven years is not enough to meet the army’s needs and the Attorney-General’s office will knock down the law as “illegal.” Committee chairman Yuli Edelstein (Likud) sharply criticized Limon’s comments, saying that the Attorney-General will invalidate any law the government formulates. The head of the IDF’s Personnel Directorate, Maj. Gen. Dado Bar Kalifa, spoke, saying: “If you tell me tomorrow morning to recruit the entire Chareidi community, I’ll tell you that I need time to build facilities, staff, and more. On the other hand, if you give me time, I will conquer Yemen.” “We are making an enormous effort. I am convinced that as we progress and succeed in recruiting our Chareidi brothers, they will enlist with us. What we are preparing for them will enable successful recruitment. We have invested millions, tremendous resources, and will expand as needed.” Bar Kalifa demanded “more effective” sanctions against Chareidim, saying: “We will need much more effective sanctions that affect the individual so that it will really make an impact.” The meeting became very heated when Yesh Atid MK Simon Davidson said:”I’ve already spoken about this to the head of the Education Committee – if in the context of a Chareidi draft law, we don’t do serious work regarding the issue of the chinuch of Chareidi children, we won’t accomplish what we want.” “Ultimately, when a child grows up in Chareidi society and his parents were not in the army and his siblings were not in the army, and in school he doesn’t learn about citizenship, Zionism, the Israeli flag, nor the meaning of the IDF – he will reach the age of 18 and he won’t want to serve in the IDF even if it’s imposed on him.” Shas MK Yinon Azulai immediately reacted and cried out: “You want to influence our chinuch! That is exactly the problem we are arguing about here, that you want to influence the chinuch of Chareidi children.” Davidson responded: “Definitely, definitely, definitely (we want to influence Chareidi chinuch).” When Azulai responded: “we won’t let you harm our children’s education,” the conversation turned into shouts and screams, with another Yesh Atid MK screaming that “Chareidi children are harming the education of secular children” by not serving in the IDF, and called Chareidim “parasites.” UTJ MK Yaakov Asher said: “There are people sitting around this table who don’t want a solution to the problem but to perpetuate the problem in order to bring down the government and harm the Chareidi public.” Asher added: “Threats of sanctions against children who have been educated since the day they were born that the Torah is what protects the people of Israel will not shake their emunah.” Following the meeting, Katz spoke in the Knesset plenum, saying that he wants to preserve the Olam HaTorah but at the same time, called for sanctions against all yeshivos and individuals. “In a few decades, the Chareidim will be a third of the country’s population,” he said. “We must ensure that they are integrated into significant security service and […]
The Health Ministry’s annual report highlights the severe toll of smoking in Israel, with approximately 8,000 deaths each year attributed to smoking-related illnesses. Alarmingly, 10% of these fatalities are nonsmokers exposed to secondhand smoke. According to the report, 23% of Israelis smoke daily, surpassing the OECD average of 20%. Additionally, 26% of the adult population is exposed to secondhand smoke, a known cause of cancer and other diseases. The report also reveals troubling trends among youth, with one in six children and teenagers experimenting with smoking, including electronic smoking products, whose use is on the rise. “The smoking epidemic is one of the most destructive public health crises,” stated Sharon Alroy Preis, head of the ministry’s Public Health Division. “E-cigarettes are seen as healthy products, but they are dangerous, especially for children and teenagers.” In 2023, tobacco taxation generated NIS 8 billion in revenue, with over NIS 6 billion coming from imported cigarettes. Despite these financial gains, the ministry emphasized the urgent need to address the growing accessibility of smoking products, particularly to young people. Health Minister Uriel Busso outlined ongoing efforts to regulate and monitor the availability of smoking and nicotine products. “A challenging road still lies ahead as we face sophisticated players, tobacco companies, new smoking products, and importers who are looking for every possible way to introduce their products to the market,” he said. Busso urged Israelis to quit smoking, highlighting the free professional support available through the ministry’s hotline and healthcare organizations. The ministry’s campaign aims to raise awareness and combat the smoking epidemic, particularly among vulnerable groups such as children and teenagers, who are at risk of long-term health consequences from early exposure to tobacco and nicotine products. (YWN World Headquarters – NYC)
In the wake of Donald Trump’s inauguration for a historic second term as President of the United States, reports suggest preparations are underway for a high-profile visit to the Ohel, a site of profound spiritual significance to the Chabad-Lubavitch community. Ariel Kahana, Diplomatic and White House Correspondent for Israel Hayom, reported from Washington, D.C., that President Trump is expected to visit the Ohel in the coming days. This visit would fulfill a promise he made during a campaign trip to the site on October 7, coinciding with the Aseres Yemei Teshuva and the Gregorian calendar anniversary of the Simchas Torah massacre in Israel. During his October visit, Trump was accompanied by families of hostages, Chabad leaders, and commentator Ben Shapiro. At the time, his campaign faced steep challenges, with polls favoring his opponent. Trump reportedly pledged to return to the Ohel to thank the Rebbe if he secured victory. Following the visit, his campaign saw a dramatic turnaround, with polls swinging decisively in his favor, ultimately leading to his re-election. While preparations near the Ohel have been observed, the nature of the visit remains uncertain. Ariel Kahana shared an updated message with Anash.org, saying, “Preparations are being made for a high-profile visit to the Ohel, but it does not necessarily involve the President.” Trump himself announced travel plans to North Carolina, Los Angeles, and Nevada later this week. Speculation has shifted toward the possibility of Jared Kushner and Ivanka Trump visiting the Ohel, with reports also mentioning Vice President J.D. Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio as potential visitors. (YWN World Headquarters – NYC)
Australian federal police launched an investigation regarding suspicions that the recent antisemitic attacks in the country are funded by “overseas actors.” According to a report by Australian media outlet 9News, the “overseas actors” may be paying local criminals, sometimes in cryptocurrency, to carry out the attacks. Following the most recent attack on a daycare in Sydney, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese convened Australia’s national cabinet. A decision was made at the meeting to establish a national database to track “antisemitic crime and other antisemitic incidents and behaviors.” Australian Federal Police (AFP) Commissioner Reece Kershaw said on Tuesday evening: “There is no doubt there is an escalation of antisemitism in Australia. We know this is changing the movements and behavior of a community that is in fear…antisemitism is a disease in our community, and it needs to be aggressively attacked.” Albanese had previously established Operation Avalite on December 9 to investigate “violence and hatred” towards Jews in Australia. At the national cabinet meeting, Kershaw revealed that the police were investigating 15 out of 166 reports received since the operations was established. He added that in New South Wales, a similar operation had led to 36 people being charged with antisemitism-related crimes and a Victoria-based taskforce had made 70 arrests. Kershaw scheduled a meeting with state police commissioners across the country to discuss other tactics or “matters we can consider.” Opposition leader Peter Dutton placed some of the blame for the antisemitic attacks on Albanese’s anti-Israel policies. “This is a national crisis. We are having rolling terrorist attacks in our community, and the prime minister is being dragged kicking and screaming to hold a meeting of our nation’s leaders,” Dutton said at a rally on Tuesday. Following the fire deliberately set by mask-wearing perpetrators at a Melbourne shul last month, Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu slammed the Australian government, saying that “it’s impossible to separate this reprehensible act from the extreme anti-Israeli position of the Labor government in Australia, including the scandalous decision to support the UN resolution calling on Israel “to bring an end to its ‘unlawful presence in the Occupied Palestinian Territory’…and preventing a former Israeli minister from entering the country.” “Anti-Israel sentiment is antisemitism,” Netanyahu concluded. (YWN Israel Desk – Jerusalem)
As YWN reported on Tuesday evening, Interior Minister Moshe Arbel revealed that the border control officers at Ben-Gurion Airport tried to prevent the entry of the terrorist who carried out the stabbing attack in Tel Aviv on Tuesday night but the Shin Bet claimed that “there was no information preventing his entry on security grounds.” Further details about the terrorist, Abdelaziz Kaddi, 29, a Moroccan citizen with a US green card, were revealed in Israeli media reports. Kaddi arrived in Israel on a connecting flight from Poland only three days before the attack. When questioned at the airport, he failed to provide any information about where he planned on staying in Israel such as information about relatives or the address of a hostel, which raised the suspicions of the border control officers. He also did not provide a clear reason for his visit and did not identify anyone he knew in the country or whether he intended to work in Israel. Minister Arbel noted that the border control officers identified Kaddi as a threat and sought to prevent his entry into Israel. They transferred him to the Shin for security questioning. “Unfortunately, security authorities decided otherwise,” Arbel said. “I urge Shin Bet Chief Ronen Bar to investigate this grave incident and draw lessons from it as soon as possible.” The Shin Bet’s decision is especially puzzling in light of a Ynet report revealing that Abdelaziz had previously shared anti-Israel and pro-terror content on social media. In one post, he accused Israel of starving civilians in northern Gaza and claimed that “half a million Gazans are at risk of dying from hunger.” He also shared a video praising Islam accompanied by the slogan “Free Palestine” and a photo of slain terrorist Ibrahim al-Nabulsi. Following the October 7 Hamas terror attack, Abdelaziz shared a post referring to the events as a potential reason for “doubling the number of martyrs for Islam.” His Facebook profile was deleted shortly after the attack. The Shin Bet responded: “At the time of the subject’s entry into Israel, a security assessment was carried out which included questioning as well as additional checks, after which it was decided that there were no information that would justify preventing his entry into Israel on security grounds. The case will be investigated.” (YWN Israel Desk – Jerusalem)
An IDF officer who was wounded in Gaza was one of several Israelis who thwarted the terrorist who carried out the stabbing attack in Tel Aviv on Tuesday night. Cpt. A., who is currently enrolled in a course to become a company commander, was lightly injured in the attack and was evacuated to Ichilov Hospital in Tel Aviv. “I fought in Gaza about a year ago,” he said in a video published on Wednesday morning. “I was injured and lost my right hand. Last night, I went out with my friends from the course to Nachlat Binyamin, and during the outing, a terrorist came and tried to stab one of us.” “The moment I noticed the incident, I tried to engage the terrorist and we chased after him. I was injured and I’m being treated at Ichilov now for a light injury on my hand. I expect to return to my course tomorrow and continue as usual.” A total of five people were injured in the stabbing attack, one seriously, two moderately, and two lightly. (YWN Israel Desk – Jerusalem)
President Donald Trump says his administration will move to revoke the security clearances of the more than four dozen former intelligence officials who signed a 2020 letter saying that the Hunter Biden laptop saga bore the hallmarks of a “Russian information operation.” The action is an early indication of the president’s determination to exact retribution on perceived adversaries and is the latest point of tension between Trump and an intelligence community of which he has been openly disdainful. The sweeping move, announced via executive order Monday, also sets up a potential court challenge from ex-officials seeking to maintain access to sensitive government information. “The president has a lot of authority when it comes to security clearances. The problem the White House will run into is, if they depart from their existing procedures, they could set up a judicial appeal for these 51 people — and it will probably be a class-action suit since they’re all in alike or similar circumstances,” said Dan Meyer, a Washington lawyer who specializes in the security clearance and background check process. The executive order targets the clearances of 50 people in all, including the 49 surviving signatories of the letter. The list includes prominent officials like James Clapper, the director of national intelligence under former President Barack Obama, and John Brennan and Leon Panetta, who both served as Obama’s CIA director. Also targeted is John Bolton, who was fired as Trump’s national security adviser during his first term and later wrote a book whose publication the White House unsuccessfully sought to block on grounds that it disclosed national security information. Separately this week, Trump abruptly ended the U.S. Secret Service detail assigned to Bolton, who has been the subject of assassination plots by Iran. Bolton said in a statement that he was disappointed but not surprised by the decision. The order directs the CIA to work with the office of the Director of National Intelligence to begin the process of revoking the clearances. It was not clear how many of the former officials still maintain security clearances, though Mark Zaid, who represents eight people who signed the letter, said that he did not believe many did and that the Trump’s action functioned largely as a “public policy message to his right-wing base” He said he would sue the administration on behalf of any client who wanted to challenge the order. “There’s nothing in this that shows me, regardless of presidential authority, that this action is not subject to existing law and policy that mandates procedural and substantive due process,” Zaid said. A Clinton-era executive order says people determined to be ineligible for a clearance are to be provided a “comprehensive and detailed” explanation of the conclusion. At issue is an October 2020 letter signed by former intelligence officials who raised alarms about the provenance of emails reported by The New York Post to have come from a laptop that President Joe Biden’s son, Hunter, had dropped off at a Wilmington, Delaware, computer repair shop. The newspaper said it had obtained a hard drive of the laptop from longtime Trump ally Rudy Giuliani, and the communications that it published related to Hunter Biden’s business dealings in Ukraine. The signatories of the letter wrote that they didn’t know whether the emails were authentic or not but that […]
Democrats knew this was coming. President Donald Trump promised a shock-and-awe campaign to deliver major policy victories immediately after he took office. Much of it was outlined in the Project 2025 document that Democrats predicted he would adopt. But in the hours since Trump’s inauguration, Democrats are struggling to confront the sheer volume of executive orders, pardons, personnel changes and controversial relationships taking shape in the new administration. In less than two days, the Republican president has moved to end diversity and inclusion programs across the federal government, withdrawn the U.S. from the Paris climate accords, blocked a federal law banning TikTok, and sought to end the constitutional guarantee of birthright citizenship. He has also pardoned the rioters who stormed the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, and granted unprecedented access to some of the world’s richest men, raising questions about his commitment to the working-class voters who enabled his election. Each of those actions enrages part of the Democratic base. Together, they make it difficult to formulate a response by an already fractured party. “It is a fire hose right now. That’s what he does. He creates a ton of chaos so it’s hard to keep up with it,” said Rep. Jasmine Crockett, D-Texas, who instructed her staff to track Trump’s executive orders, so her constituents could keep up. “Everything is overload.” Democrats warn of Trump’s ‘plans to screw over America’ The Democratic National Committee, under the direction of retiring chair Jaime Harrison, has been running an active rapid response this week, issuing press releases and social media posts to push back against Trump’s actions. That stands in contrast to the party’s operation following Trump’s 2017 inauguration, which was largely dark as a far more active protest movement became the focal point of the Democratic resistance. For now, the Democratic establishment is largely focused on the prominent role of billionaires in Trump’s nascent presidency, which follows Biden’s farewell warning about the rise of oligarchs. The DNC shared talking points with its allies on Tuesday, encouraging them to focus on “Trump’s plans to screw over America.” Specifically, the talking points focus on the new president’s move to rescind a Biden order designed to limit the cost of prescription drugs. The DNC guidance also seizes on ultra-wealthy tech executives like Elon Musk, CEO of Tesla and Space X, and Jeff Bezos, CEO of Amazon and Blue Origin, who were seated in front of some of Trump’s Cabinet picks during his inauguration. On Musk, the talking points accuse him of giving multiple Nazi salutes during Trump’s inauguration parade. Right-wing extremists are celebrating Musk’s straight-arm gesture during a speech Monday, although his intention wasn’t totally clear and some hate watchdogs are saying not to read too much into it. The seating for some of the world’s richest men at the inauguration — with big-state governors and major allies relegated to an overflow area — initially offered Democrats an issue to rally around. Beyond the tech leaders featured at the inauguration, the Republican president has tapped more than a dozen billionaires for prominent roles. Democratic strategist Andrew Bates, who left his job as a White House spokesman on Friday, attacked Trump’s GOP for “partying with rightwing billionaires” on their first day in control of Washington and “plotting tax welfare for the super rich” on Day 2. “Republicans have revealed their establishment-bought true colors and are selling out every American except […]
A rare winter storm has blanketed North Florida and the Panhandle, bringing record-breaking snowfall to Pensacola. While official measurements are still pending, reports from Escambia County indicate as much as 5.5 inches of snow, surpassing the area’s all-time record of 3 inches set in 1895. Some areas are saying as much as 8 inches of snow has fallen. Florida Governor Ron DeSantis declared a state of emergency on Sunday, Jan. 19, as forecasters warned of one of the most severe storms in Gulf Coast history. Amid the chaos, Rabbi Mendel and Nechama Danow, Chabad emissaries to Pensacola, told YWN that the Chabad House remains open. “Despite the snow, people have stopped by for kosher food,” they said, offering a beacon of warmth and support to the community during this unprecedented storm. (YWN World Headquarters – NYC)
Harvard University has reached settlements in two lawsuits accusing the institution of fostering antisemitism on campus. The lawsuits, filed by the Louis D. Brandeis Center for Human Rights Under Law, Jewish Americans for Fairness in Education, and Students Against Antisemitism, alleged a hostile educational environment for Jewish students. As part of the settlements, Harvard agreed to adopt the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) definition of antisemitism. The university will also update its bullying policies with examples illustrating how Zionism is a central aspect of many Jewish identities. The updated policies explicitly state that conduct targeting Jewish or Israeli individuals, including Zionists, could violate Harvard’s non-discrimination rules. Examples include excluding Zionists from events, disseminating stereotypes about Zionists, or pressuring individuals perceived as Jewish or Israeli to declare their stance on Zionism. The settlement also includes plans to partner with a university in Israel, provide expert training for staff on antisemitism, and annually reaffirm its commitment to combating antisemitism. “Today’s settlement reflects Harvard’s enduring commitment to ensuring our Jewish students, faculty, and staff are embraced, respected, and supported,” the university said in a statement. Marc Kasowitz, representing Students Against Antisemitism, praised the resolution. “This agreement demonstrates meaningful actions to combat antisemitism, hate, and bias on college campuses,” he said, encouraging other institutions to follow Harvard’s example. The settlements have drawn criticism from pro-Palestinian activists, who view the measures as controversial. Coinciding with Harvard’s announcement, a bipartisan Senate bill was reintroduced to simplify filing civil rights complaints against universities over discrimination tied to heritage. (YWN World Headquarters – NYC)
A handwritten manuscript by the revered Torah commentator and mekubal, the Ohr HaChaim Hakadosh, sold for a staggering $700,000 plus commission in an online auction hosted by Kedem Auction House on Tuesday. The manuscript reflects the extraordinary legacy of Rav Chaim ben Attar, known universally as the Ohr HaChaim. Born in 1696 in Salé, Morocco, Rav Chaim remains a luminary in the Jewish world, renowned for his pirush on the Torah, Or HaChaim al HaTorah, which continues to inspire generations. The Ohr HaChaim’s early years were marked by intellectual brilliance and resilience. At nine years old, his family fled to Meknes, Morocco, escaping the oppression of an antisemitic vizier. His first marriage to a relative named Fatzunyah allowed him to dedicate himself fully to Torah study, supported by her family. After her passing, he remarried Esther Bibas, with whom he had daughters. It was during these years that the Ohr HaChaim wrote his famed commentary while learning with his family every Friday night. The Ohr HaChaim’s life was not without hardship. Following the death of his father-in-law in 1724, his financial circumstances deteriorated. Yet, his unwavering commitment to limud and harbotzas Torah shone through, leading him to establish a yeshiva in Salé. When famine struck Morocco, he embarked on a journey to Eretz Yisroel, pausing in Livorno, Italy, where a wealthy Jewish community supported him and his efforts to publish Or HaChaim. Arriving in Eretz Yisroel in 1742 with his family and 30 students, the Ohr HaChaim founded Yeshivat Knesset Yisrael in Yerushalayim. His life was tragically cut short on a Shabbos in 1743, less than a year after settling in Yerushalayim. It is said that that week in Europe, the Baal Shem Tov was sitting at shalosh seudos, and before anyone in the area could have found out about the Ohr HaChaim’s petirah, he exclaimed, “The light from the West (Eretz Yisroel) has been extinguished!” The Ohr HaChaim was buried on Har Hazeisim. (YWN World Headquarters – NYC)
Israeli President Yitzchak Herzog, speaking at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, admitted that his long-standing support for a two-state solution has been deeply shaken following the October 7, 2023, Hamas attack. Herzog, a former leader of the Labor Party and a long-time advocate of the two-state solution, described the massacre as a “wake-up call” that has forced him to reassess the feasibility of peace under current circumstances. “I supported the two-state solution many times in the past,” Herzog acknowledged, “but after October 7, I need to hear my neighbors clearly condemn such acts of terror. It is unacceptable under any norms.” He noted the trauma Israelis have experienced and the unrealistic nature of expecting the nation to withdraw from settlements without significant guarantees for security. “It doesn’t make sense to Israelis. They need to see something that provides a sense of personal safety,” he said. Herzog suggested that future discussions should focus on normalization agreements with Arab nations, including Saudi Arabia, while addressing the Palestinian issue as a central part of these dialogues. On international relations, Herzog touched on the return of Donald Trump to the White House, highlighting the urgency of confronting Iran. “Iran will be a main issue on his agenda very soon,” Herzog said. “Iran cannot have nuclear capabilities and must stop supporting its proxies and its axis of evil.” He warned that Iran is “working day and night” to achieve nuclear weapons, making it a pressing threat. Herzog also commented on the ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas, currently structured in three phases. Despite significant challenges, he expressed cautious optimism about the agreement’s potential to reach its final stage. “There is a clear desire to move to the second phase. We meant it when we signed the agreement,” Herzog said. However, Herzog criticized the disparity in the terms of the ceasefire, highlighting Israel’s release of over a thousand convicted terrorists in exchange for 33 Israeli civilians, women, and children held hostage. “We are asking to release women and children, and for that, we are paying with barbaric terrorists,” he said. (YWN World Headquarters – NYC)
Rep. Elise Stefanik opened her confirmation hearing Tuesday for U.S. ambassador to the United Nations by pledging to implement President Donald Trump’s “America First” mandate and roll out a review of U.S. funding for some of the world body’s agencies. Noting that the U.S. is the largest single contributor to the United Nations, she pointed to the children’s agency UNICEF and the World Food Program as examples of U.N. entities that are “effective,” but said the U.S. has to ensure its investments are making America safer, stronger and more prosperous — echoing Secretary of State Marco Rubio. “Our tax dollars should not be complicit in propping up entities that are counter to American interests, antisemitic, or engaging in fraud, corruption or terrorism,” Stefanik said in her opening remarks before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. She stressed the need to reform the world body, where lawmakers raised the ability of American adversaries Russia and China to veto resolutions in the U.N. Security Council, and went so far as to say that it has not lived up to its founding mission. Sen. Jim Risch, the Republican committee chair, set the tone by sharply criticizing the U.N. at the start of the hearing, saying that Stefanik “can bring much-needed change” to the institution. “At this point, the U.S. should seriously examine if further contributions and, indeed, participation in the U.N. is even beneficial to the American people,” the Idaho lawmaker said. Stefanik echoed him, saying: Stefanik: “If you look at the antisemitic rot within the United Nations, there are more resolutions targeting Israel than any other country, any other crisis combined … We need to be a voice of moral clarity on the UN Security Council and the United Nations at large, for the world to hear the importance of standing with Israel.” Harvard-educated and the fourth-ranking member of the U.S. House, Stefanik was elected to Congress in 2015 as a moderate Republican and is leaving a decade later as one of Trump’s most ardent allies. Stefanik was asked about her views on the wars in Gaza, Ukraine, Sudan and elsewhere as well as the North Korean and Iranian nuclear programs — all issues on the U.N. agenda. The United States pays about one-fifth of the U.N.’s regular budget, and she has already been questioned about her comments on cutting the U.N. budget and continuing support for its multiple agencies. Those tackle everything from health, education and migration to reproductive rights and nuclear proliferation. She responded by saying she is open to reviewing agencies to ensure “that all of our taxpayer dollars are going to entities that function very well.” But she also agreed with Democratic Sen. Chris Coons about supporting efforts to strengthen alliances, especially when it comes to China’s influence at the world body. Trump has been skeptical of U.S. alliances, including NATO and defense partnerships in the Asia-Pacific, which the Biden team worked to shore up after taking over from Trump after his first term. Stefanik saw her profile rise after her aggressive questioning last year of a trio of university presidents about antisemitism on their campuses, leading to two of their resignations — a performance Trump repeatedly praised. “I was interested in this position because if you look at the antisemitic rot within the United Nations, there are more […]
President Donald Trump once expressed concern with how low showerhead flow affected his “perfect” hair. Now back in the White House, he’s again taking aim at some high-efficiency household items — and that may mean higher water and electric bills in your home. One of Trump’s several dozen first-day executive orders promises to “unleash American energy,” including a pledge to ease efficiency standards for household appliances and fixtures. The standards are intended to make dishwashers, showerheads, refrigerators, laundry machines, toilets and the like use less energy and water. The higher-efficiency appliances can have higher upfront costs, but they save water and electricity. Here’s what Trump said and what it means. What did Trump’s executive order say? Trump vowed that consumers won’t be forced to buy or use such items — mirroring action he took during his first time in office. His order would “safeguard the American people’s freedom to choose from a variety of goods and appliances, including but not limited to lightbulbs, dishwashers, washing machines, gas stoves, water heaters, toilets, and shower heads.” For the president, it’s personal. Trump has long been distressed by the water flow — or apparent lack thereof — from showerheads, saying during his first stint in the White House that he wasn’t getting wet enough in the shower and that his hair needed to be “perfect.” Trump has also incorrectly claimed before that people weren’t getting any water out of their fixtures and had to flush their toilets 10 or 15 times. Trump is following the lead of humorist Dave Barry who complained in 1997 about having “to lurk in the bathroom for what seems like several presidential administrations flushing, checking, waiting, flushing, checking.” What standards already exist? For over three decades, federal energy law has outlined appliance standards that determine new showerheads shouldn’t pour out more than 2.5 gallons of water per minute (9.5 liters). The Obama administration refined the restrictions and applied those limits to the water that comes out of the entire showerhead, even ones with several nozzles. During the first Trump administration, the president relaxed that to allow each nozzle of a showerhead spray as much as 2.5 gallons. The Biden administration reversed Trump’s action in 2021. Other appliances and devices at risk under Trump are dishwashers, washing machines and more, the efficiency of which was boosted through rules under the previous administration and others. These standards are meant to reduce water consumption and save Americans money through lower energy bills, experts say. What can President Trump feasibly change? The president’s complaints are meant to justify pulling back long-held appliance conservation standards and boost water flow. Climate Analytics policy analyst Thomas Houlie said “industries and private sectors see it (energy efficiency) as adding more constraints on them. They tend to overlook the benefits that will be gained from the measures.” But law specific to the appliance standards law includes a no-rollback clause, experts say, which states no new standard can be weaker than the existing standard. That means any changes have to skirt existing stipulations. “What President Trump tried in the first administration was to find ways to create loopholes that would enable energy- or water-wasting products to flood to market,” said Andrew deLaski, executive director of the Appliance Standards Awareness Project. He noted that “No manufacturers, to our knowledge, took advantage of those loopholes,” and added “to see […]