Hatzolah of Central Jersey releases a statement thanking its partners for their efforts during and after Friday’s horrific car crash that killed three bochurim and critically injured a fourth.
Leading halachic authorities, hundreds of kashrus supervisors, and representatives of major kosher certification bodies from across Eretz Yisroel and the world gathered in Yerushalayim recently for OU Kosher’s annual International Kashrus Conference. The event served as a forum for discussing some of the most complex and urgent issues facing the global kosher industry – from halachic challenges in industrial kashrus to questions of policy and practice – and highlighted the growing need for collaboration across diverse communities and hashgachos. Participants included notable figures from across the Charedi spectrum, among them Rav Asher Weiss, a foremost halachic authority, Rav Dovid Cohen (Rosh Yeshiva of Yeshivas Chevron), Rabbi Dovid Feinstein (Yeshivas Beis Yehuda), Rishon LeZion Rabbi David Yosef and Chief Rabbi Kalman Ber, and Rav Yaakov Shapira (Rosh Yeshiva of Mercaz HaRav and member of the Chief Rabbinate Council). In his remarks, Rav Asher Weiss noted the importance of distinguishing between abstract halachic principles and their implementation in complex, industrial contexts – a challenge, he said, that requires experience and reliability on the ground. Several speakers echoed this concern, pointing to the increasing globalization of the food industry and the need for consistent, high-level oversight at every stage of production. A key theme that emerged was the crucial infrastructure behind modern kashrus – and the interdependence it creates between communities, organizations, and hashgachos worldwide. Rabbi Menachem Genack, CEO of OU Kosher, and Rabbi Moshe Elefant, COO and Executive Rabbinic Coordinator of OU Kosher, lead the OU’s kashrus division, and both spoke about the scope of contemporary certification and the importance of maintaining halachic autonomy in the face of commercial pressures, as well as the diversity of the gathering. “There are very few venues where representatives from such a wide range of hashgachos sit at the same table to discuss standards, policy, and halacha,” said Rabbi Moshe Elefant. “It reflects the reality that no single organization can operate in isolation – especially when so many kosher products depend on shared ingredients and overlapping systems. Even though OU Kosher is among the largest certifiers in the world, we are still constantly seeking advice and direction from Gedolei Haposkim.” Rabbi Gavriel Pappenheim, Executive Director of the Badatz-Eidah HaChareidis kashrus committee recognized the tremendous influence of OU Kosher “No organization benefits the public like the OU, which is the largest kashrus body in the world.” He went on to say, “The OU has paved the way for other kashrus organizations to enter raw ingredient production factories around the world.” A panel discussion featuring senior figures from Israel’s largest kashrus agencies highlighted these shared values – and differences – among organizations. Participants included Rabbi Gavriel Pappenheim (Executive Director of Badatz-Eidah HaChareidis Kashrus), Rav Tzvi Vebber (posek for Sheeris), and Rav Yosef Efrati, each of whom addressed current industry challenges and praised the opportunity for open dialogue. The discussion was moderated by Rabbi Rafael Menat, Rabbi of the Osem food corporation. Rav Dovid Cohen spoke about the broader significance of kashrus in Jewish life, saying its impact extends far beyond the technical fulfillment of mitzvos: “Strengthening kashrus strengthens Yiddishkeit,” he said. A Q&A session with Rav Mordechai Gross, a halachic authority for the OU, focused on the day-to-day realities facing mashgichim in the field, such as balancing work responsibilities with religious obligations like davening with a minyan. Throughout […]
Hatzolah of Central Jersey expressed gratitude to local and county partners, including Bikur Cholim, Chai Lifeline, Msaskm, Jackson EMS, and others, for their professional and compassionate response to a tragic motor vehicle accident in Jackson Township on Friday. The coordinated efforts of multiple agencies provided critical support during the heartbreaking incident. Hatzolah emphasized the importance of unified emergency response and their commitment to serving the community alongside these partners. Read the full letter below:
A cryptocurrency investor has been arrested and charged with kidnapping a man and keeping him locked up for weeks in an upscale Manhattan apartment, where authorities say he was beaten, shocked and led to believe that his family was in danger if he didn’t give up his Bitcoin password. John Woeltz, 37, was arrested Friday night after the victim escaped from the eight-bedroom town house and flagged down a traffic officer on the street for help, according to prosecutors. Woeltz was arraigned Saturday on charges of kidnapping, assault, unlawful imprisonment and criminal possession of a firearm, court records show. He was ordered held without bail, a spokesperson for the Manhattan district attorney’s office confirmed Saturday. His lawyer, Wayne Gosnell, said Saturday in an email that he had no comment. The 28-year-old victim arrived in New York City from Italy in early May, a law enforcement official told The Associated Press. The official was not authorized to speak publicly about the ongoing investigation and did so on condition of anonymity. It’s not clear how or if the two knew each other, but the district attorney’s office said in an email that prosecutor Michael Mattson told a judge Saturday that the victim, whose name has not been released, was abducted on May 6. Mattson said others were involved in the scheme to empty the victim’s Bitcoin wallet. That includes a person referred to in court records as an “unapprehended male.” The victim said he was bound by the wrists and tortured for weeks inside the apartment. His captors, according to prosecutors, drugged him, used electric wires to shock him, hit him in the head with a firearm and, at one point, carried him to the top of a flight of stairs where they dangled him over a ledge and threatened to kill him if he didn’t share his Bitcoin password. Believing that he was about to be shot, the victim was able to escape Friday after agreeing to give up his password, which was stored on his laptop in another room. When the suspect turned his back, Mattson said, the victim ran out of the apartment. The victim was taken to a hospital and treated for injuries that Mattson said were consistent with his descriptions of being bound and assaulted. A search of the town house turned up a trove of evidence, Mattson said, including cocaine, a saw, chicken wire, body armor and night vision goggles, ammunition and polaroid photos of the victim with a gun pointed to his head. Woeltz was ordered Saturday to surrender his passport. Prosecutors said he has the means to flee, including a private jet and a helicopter. He is due back in Manhattan criminal court next week. (AP)
A second major power outage hit southeastern France early Sunday, this time in the city of Nice, after an electrical facility was damaged by suspected arson. Police currently have not established a link between the blackout that affected parts of Nice as well as nearby cities of Cagnes-sur-Mer and Saint-Laurent-du-Var, and a power outage on Saturday that disrupted the city of Cannes during the closing day of its renowned film festival. The Nice blackout started around 2 a.m. and left some 45,000 households without electricity. The city’s trams stopped and power was briefly cut to the Nice Côte d’Azur airport during its overnight closure hours. Power was fully restored by 5:30 a.m., according to the energy provider company Enedis. The Nice public prosecutor said a criminal investigation has been opened for “organized arson.” On Saturday, two other installations in the Alpes Maritime department were damaged in what officials also suspected to be arson, temporarily cutting power to 160,000 homes, including events at the Cannes Film Festival. An unknown anarchist group claimed responsibility for the Cannes outage in a lengthy posting on the website indymedia.org. “We are two bands of anarchists,” said the statement published Sunday by an unknown user. “We claim responsibility for the attack on electrical installations on the Côte d’Azur.” Authorities have not verified the statement, and police have not commented on the claim. Nice Mayor Christian Estrosi condemned Sunday’s attack and said the city had filed a complaint. “I strongly denounce these malicious acts targeting our country,” he said on X. He ordered all sensitive electrical infrastructure in the city to be placed under police protection. “These actions can have serious consequences, particularly on hospitals,” Estrosi said at a press briefing on Sunday. “As long as the perpetrators haven’t been caught, we will remain on high alert.” (AP)
A moving visit took place today at the United Hatzalah headquarters, when the founder of the “Hatzalah” organization in the United States, Rabbi Hershel Weber, arrived for a special tour with his sons Naftali and Meir. He was greeted by Eli Beer, President and Founder of United Hatzalah, and Lazer Hyman – VP and Head of Volunteers and Operations. During the visit, Eli Beer shared with Rabbi Weber the story of United Hatzalah’s establishment, referring to the parallels between the path Rabbi Weber pioneered in New York in 1966 and the challenges faced during United Hatzalah’s early days in Israel. “When you established Hatzalah in the US, they warned you not to do it because of the ambulance monopoly – yet you chose to go against the current. Today, it’s impossible to imagine a Jewish community without Hatzalah,” Beer said. “We in Israel also received warnings, but today it’s unimaginable how we managed without United Hatzalah. Since establishing the organization, we’ve responded to more than 7 million emergency calls, and your inspiration contributed to the establishment of dozens of additional organizations.” During the emotional meeting, Eli Beer shared with Rabbi Weber the moving stories of how United Hatzalah volunteers saved many lives during the war that broke out on Simchat Torah 5783 (October 2023). Beer told Rabbi Weber, “All these lives saved are thanks to you and the enormous enterprise you established almost 60 years ago.” Rabbi Weber burst into tears of emotion when he heard this from Eli Beer and asked to hear more about the tremendous life-saving operation in Israel. Rabbi Weber expressed deep emotion at seeing the extensive activities and innovative technologies used by United Hatzalah, especially the advanced professional technologies of the national dispatch center. Later in the visit, VP Lazer Hyman presented the “Koach Hatzalah” (Power of Rescue) unit which was established for Haredi (ultra-Orthodox) volunteers in United Hatzalah. The project coordinator Bentzi Spitzer elaborated on the activities currently being developed to allow all Haredi volunteers to continue saving lives while meticulously maintaining their religious standards. At the conclusion of the special and moving visit, United Hatzalah President Eli Beer presented Rabbi Weber with a special token of appreciation – a silver ambulance model with his name, in recognition of his groundbreaking contribution to saving lives throughout the Jewish world. (YWN World Headquarters – NYC)
The U.S. military spent more than $6 billion over the past three years to recruit and retain service members, in what has been a growing campaign to counter enlistment shortfalls. The financial incentives to reenlist in the Army, Navy, Air Force and Marines increased dramatically from 2022 through last year, with the Navy vastly outspending the others, according to funding totals provided by the services. The overall amount of recruiting bonuses also rose steadily, fueled by significant jumps in spending by the Army and Marine Corps. The military services have routinely poured money into recruiting and retention bonuses over the years. But the totals spiked as Pentagon leaders tried to reverse falling enlistment numbers, particularly as COVID-19 restrictions locked down public events, fairs and school visits that recruiters relied on to meet with young people. Coupled with an array of new programs, an increased number of recruiters and adjustments to enlistment requirements, the additional incentives have helped the services bounce back from the shortfalls. All but the Navy met their recruiting targets last year and all are expected to do so this year. President Donald Trump and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth repeatedly point to Trump’s election as a reason for the recruiting rebound. But the enlistment increases began long before last November, and officials have tied them more directly to the widespread overhauls that the services have done, including the increased financial incentives. The Army, the military’s largest service, spent more on recruiting bonuses in 2022 and 2024 than the other services. But it was significantly outspent by the Navy in 2023, when the sea service was struggling to overcome a large enlistment shortfall. As a result, even though the Navy is a smaller service, it spent more overall in the three years than the Army did. The Navy also has spent considerably more than the others to entice sailors to reenlist, doling out retention bonuses to roughly 70,000 service members for each of the past three years. That total is more than double the number of troops the Army gave retention bonuses to each year, even though the Army is a much larger service. “Navy is dedicated to retaining our most capable sailors; retention is a critical component of achieving our end-strength goals,” Adm. James Kilby, the vice chief of naval operations, told a Senate Armed Services subcommittee in March. He said reenlistment for enlisted sailors “remains healthy” but officers are a challenge in specific jobs, including aviation, explosive ordnance disposal, surface and submarine warfare, health professionals and naval special operations. He added that the Navy has struggled to fill all of its at-sea jobs and is using financial incentives as one way to combat the problem. The Army has seen the greatest recruiting struggles over the past decade, and by using a range of new programs and policies has had one of the largest comebacks. The Navy has had the most trouble more recently, and took a number of steps to expand those eligible for service and spend more in bonuses. While the Army spends hundreds of millions each year to recruit troops, it also has relied on an array of new programs and policies to woo young people. A key driver of the Army’s rebound has been its decision to create the Future Soldier Prep Course, at […]
A dual U.S.-German citizen was arrested and charged for attempting to carry out a firebombing attack on the U.S. Embassy Branch Office in Tel Aviv last week. Joseph Neumayer, 27, was taken into custody by federal agents on Saturday at JFK International Airport, just hours after being deported from Israel, where he allegedly attempted to ignite a violent act against American diplomatic personnel. According to a criminal complaint unsealed in Brooklyn federal court, Neumayer posted a disturbing call to action on Facebook on May 19: “Join me this afternoon in Tel Aviv, we are burning down the U.S. embassy.” He included additional statements expressing hostility toward the United States and President Donald Trump. Later that same day, Neumayer allegedly approached the embassy’s Tel Aviv branch on HaYarkon Street carrying a backpack loaded with homemade Molotov cocktails. He confronted an embassy security guard, hurled inflammatory remarks, and fled the scene—leaving the incendiary-laden bag behind. Israeli law enforcement launched a manhunt, tracking the suspect to a Tel Aviv hotel, where he was arrested without incident. Working in close coordination with the FBI and the U.S. Embassy’s Diplomatic Security Service, Israeli authorities deported Neumayer to the U.S., where he now faces federal charges for attempting to damage a U.S. government facility with fire or explosives. U.S. Attorney General Pamela Bondi issued a stern warning: “The Department will prosecute this defendant to the fullest extent of the law.” Joseph Nocella Jr., U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of New York, praised the swift cross-border cooperation that helped neutralize the threat, saying, “Thanks to our Israeli partners, a potential tragedy was averted before a single life was lost.” FBI Assistant Director Steven J. Jensen vowed continued vigilance: “We will not hesitate to pursue anyone who threatens U.S. citizens or diplomatic missions abroad.” Neumayer faces a mandatory minimum of five years and up to 20 years in federal prison, along with a potential $250,000 fine. The investigation remains ongoing, and officials have not ruled out additional charges. (YWN World Headquarters – NYC)
NOW: Yom Yerushalyim events have begun at the Kosel with thousands in attendance. At the heart of the event, a giant Israeli flag, measuring an impressive 46×28 meters, was unfurled across the Kosel Plaza.
Hogan Gidley on Biden cognitive cover-up: “The American people were left without a commander-in-chief. It is absolutely disgusting that the media did this, too, pretending as though what every single American saw with their own eyes – someone who couldn’t speak, or walk.”
Kayhan, the official mouthpiece of Supreme Leader Khamenei, praised the terror attack on 2 Israeli embassy staff in Washington DC last week, and called the attacker the founder of the “Washington Basij,” echoing Iran’s brutal paramilitary force.
One program distributes laptops in rural Iowa. Another helped people get back online after Hurricane Helene washed away computers and phones in western North Carolina. Programs in Oregon and rural Alabama teach older people, including some who have never touched a computer, how to navigate in an increasingly digital world. It all came crashing down this month when President Donald Trump — on his own digital platform, Truth Social — announced his intention to end the Digital Equity Act, a federal grant program meant to help bridge the digital divide. He branded it as “RACIST and ILLEGAL” and said it amounts to “woke handouts based on race.” He said it was an “ILLEGAL $2.5 BILLION DOLLAR giveaway,” though the program was actually funded with $2.75 billion. The name seemed innocuous enough when the program was approved by Congress in 2021 as part of a $65 billion investment meant to bring internet access to every home and business in the United States. The broadband program itself was a key component of the $1 trillion infrastructure law pushed through by the administration of Democratic President Joe Biden. The Digital Equity Act was intended to fill gaps and cover unmet needs that surfaced during the massive broadband rollout. It gave states and tribes flexibility to deliver high-speed internet access to families that could not afford it, computers to kids who did not have them, telehealth access to older adults in rural areas, and training and job skills to veterans. Whether Trump has the legal authority to end the program remains unknown. But for now the Republican administration can simply stop spending the money. “I just felt my heart break for what we were finally, finally in this country, going to address, the digital divide,” said Angela Siefer, executive director of the National Digital Inclusion Alliance, a nonprofit that was awarded — but has not received — a $25.7 million grant to work with groups across the country to help provide access to technology. “The digital divide is not just physical access to the internet, it is being able to use that to do what you need to do.” The word ‘equity’ While the name of the program likely got it targeted — the Trump administration has been aggressively scrubbing the government of programs that promote diversity, equity or inclusion — the Digital Equity Act was supposed to be broader in scope. Though Trump called it racist, the words “race” or “racial” appear just twice in the law’s text: once, alongside “color, religion, national origin, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, age, or disability,” in a passage stating that no groups should be excluded from funding, and later, in a list of covered populations, along with older adults, veterans, people with disabilities, English learners, people with low literacy levels and rural Americans. “Digital Equity passed with overwhelming bipartisan support,” said Democratic Sen. Patty Murray of Washington, the act’s chief proponent, in a statement. “And that’s because my Republican colleagues have heard the same stories as I have — like kids in rural communities forced to drive to McDonalds parking lots for Wi-Fi to do their homework. “It is insane — absolutely nuts — that Trump is blocking resources to help make sure kids in rural school districts can get hot spots or laptops, all because he doesn’t like the […]
