A devastating accident on Route 17 has left the Vishnitzer community in mourning, claiming the life of a beloved Yungerman returning from a Vishnitzer Rebbesha chasunah in Monsey. Sources tell YWN that R’ Mordechai Zafir Z”L, 54, and his 17-year-old son were traveling back to the Vishnitz (Gibbers) community in Kiamesha after attending the chasunah of the granddaughter of the Viznitzer Rebbe of Monsey and the grandson of the Viznitzer Rebbe of Kiamesha when tragedy struck. At approximately 1:45 AM, near exits 126/127, a wrong-way driver collided head-on with their vehicle in a fatal crash. R’ Mordechai Z”L was tragically niftar at the scene. His son sustained serious injuries and was rushed to a Garnet Medical Center in Middletown and later transferred to Westchester Medical Center, where he remains in serious but stable condition. The tzibur is urged to daven for his refuah sheleimah—his name for Tehillim is Kalman Yehoshua Ben Esther Malka Bracha. The driver of the other vehicle was also pronounced dead at the scene. New York State Police have launched an investigation to determine how and why the second vehicle was traveling in the wrong direction, leading to this catastrophic crash. Chesed Shel Emes and Misaskim volunteers have been working tirelessly at the scene throughout the night, ensuring proper kavod hames for the niftar. Levaya details will be published once it becomes available to us. (VIDEO CREDIT – Rockland Video Productions) (YWN World Headquarters – NYC)
IDF soldiers overnight Tuesday demolished the Chevron homes of the two terrorists who murdered seven people and injured 15 in a terror attack on the Yaffo light rail in October 2024. The terrorists, both residents of Chevron, carried out a shooting and stabbing attack on October 1, only minutes before Iran carried out its second direct missile attack on Israel. “Security forces will continue to act to thwart terror and exact justice from every terrorist who harms civilians and security forces,” the IDF spokesperson stated. (YWN Israel Desk – Jerusalem)
The change of command ceremony for the new IDF Chief of Staff took place on Wednesday morning at the Kiryah in Tel Aviv, with Eyal Zamir first promoted to the rank of Lt. Gen. and then appointed as the IDF’s 24th chief of staff. Outgoing Chief of Staff Herzi Halevi, who served in his position for two years, announced his resignation from his position over a month ago “in light of my recognition of responsibility for the failure of the IDF on October 7th.” Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu spoke first, noting: “Zamir, we have known each other for quite a few years,” he said. “I twice recommended you as Chief of Staff, and now for the third time ‘עת הזמיר הגיע.'” [The words עת הזמיר הגיע appear in Shir HaShirim, with some mefarshim interpreting the words as “the time for Geulah has come” or “the time for the destruction of our enemies has come.”] Netanyahu also praised Zamir’s role as the director-general of the Defense Ministry during the ongoing war, during which he headed intensive efforts to procure vital weapons and initiated increased domestic weapons production. “With the support of our friends in the US, first and foremost President Trump, we are bringing a lot of weapons into Israel that are critical to our security,” Netanyahu said, adding that Israel is also ramping up its domestic defense production capacity. “This will reduce the pressure and dependence on outside actors,” he stressed. Netanyahu also thanked outgoing Chief of Staff Halevi: “In the moment of significant trial, you mobilized the forces to withstand the severe blow. I saw you go out into the field. You acted in light of the decisions we made, hardly slept, not seeing your family for days and even weeks.” Katz then spoke, warning Zamir that he “won’t even have one minute of grace.” “The security challenges around us do not allow the new Chief of Staff even 100 minutes of grace. In fact, Eyal you don’t even have one minute of grace. The IDF is in the midst of a military campaign against enemies who have made Israel’s destruction their goal.” Katz continued: “Israel’s security history throughout its years, and certainly in recent years, has taught us an undisputed fact: the ability to defend the State of Israel and its residents, and the commitment to ensure its continued existence, rely, to a large extent, on the ability to attack in the air, on land, and at sea. In order for the IDF to fulfill its purpose, there is no substitute for military initiative, creativity, cunning, and striving for contact. ‘If someone comes to kill you, rise early and kill him first’ – was already written in our sources thousands of years ago – and there is no doubt that this principle accurately reflects even today what is required and expected of IDF commanders and soldiers.” Zamir began his speech by warning: “Hamas has not yet been defeated. This is a war for survival. We will continue the campaign to bring our hostages home and to achieve a decisive victory. The mission before me is clear: to lead the IDF to victory.” (YWN Israel Desk – Jerusalem)
Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara sent a letter to Defense Minister Yisrael Katz on Wednesday demanding that he immediately begin imposing sanctions on bnei yeshivos eligible for the draft. In the letter, Baharav-Miara wrote that as of today, “the recruitment goals that were presented are not being met” and therefore “the government is required to act urgently to enforce recruitment obligations against draft-dodgers.” She emphasized that “a significant proportion of the enforcement measures against evaders can be promoted immediately, inter alia, by a government or administrative decision alone, and a decision on this matter is in the hands of the political echelon.” She ordered Katz to hold an urgent discussion on the matter. (YWN Israel Desk – Jerusalem)
Democratic lawmakers protested President Donald Trump with multiple signs during a speech to the Joint Session of Congress that quickly turned into a partisan rhetorical brawl. Representatives were seen holding up black signs with white letters saying: “Save Medicaid,” “Musk Steals” and “Protect Veterans,” with “False” written on the back. As Trump entered the chamber, Rep. Melanie Stansbury, D-New Mexico, displayed a sign saying, “This is not normal.” Republican Rep. Lance Gooden of Texas ripped it out of her hands and threw it, nearly hitting the president’s head as he walked down the aisle. (YWN World Headquarters – NYC)
Rep. Al Green (D-TX) was escorted out of President Donald Trump’s address to Congress on Tuesday after he repeatedly heckled the president and refused to take his seat. Near the beginning of his address, Trump was forced to take a pause after Green stood up, waved his cane, and heckled the president as Republican members of Congress countered the heckling with chants of, “USA!” Green continued to heckle the president, prompting House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) to use his gavel and warn, “Members are directed to uphold and maintain decorum in the House and to cease any further disruptions. That’s your warning.” After Green ignored Johnson, the speaker warned again, “Members are engaging in wilful and continuing breach of decorum and the chair is prepared to direct the sergeant-at-arms to restore order to the joint session.” Continuing to disrupt Trump’s address, Johnson eventually ordered the sergeant-at-arms to remove Green from the chamber. “Mr Green, take your seat. Take your seat, sir. Take your seat,” demanded Johnson. “Finding that members continue to engage in wilful and concerted disruption of proper decorum, the chair now directs the sergeant-at-arms to restore order. Remove this gentleman from the chamber.” Green was then escorted out of the chamber as he continued to heckle Trump an Republican members of Congress. After he was escorted from the chamber, Green told reporters that he heckled Trump because the president has “no mandate to cut Medicaid.” “I’m also working on my articles of impeachment,” the congressman claimed.
President Donald Trump vowed in a speech to Congress and the U.S. that his administration would work to take “America’s destiny into our own hands” and promised that “this will be our greatest era” where he would fight to forge the most free civilization. Trump’s remarks came as he delivered an address to a joint session of Congress Tuesday in a speech similar to the annual State of the Union, where he declared that “America is back” and that the “American dream is surging.” Trump unveiled in his speech that Ukraine is prepared to sign off on a rare-earth minerals deal and continue peace negotiations to end the war with Russia, and that his administration has caught the terrorist behind an attack in Afghanistan that resulted in the death of 13 U.S. troops. He also promised he would drive down inflation costs and would “wage a war” on drug cartels as he bragged about his administration’s accomplishments already in the past six weeks — including driving down illegal immigration crossings. Specifically, Trump urged lawmakers Tuesday to beef up funding for border security to foot the bill for deportations and construction of a border wall along the U.S. southern border, and touted that his administration has “launched the most sweeping border and immigration crackdown in American history.” Trump said that he’s sent Congress a detailed funding request laying out how to eliminate threats and carry out the “largest deportation operation in American history.” “Americans expect Congress to send me this funding without delay, so I can sign it into law,” Trump said, urging Speaker of the House Mike Johnson, R-La., and Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., to pass such a measure so he could sign it into law quickly. Furthermore, Trump also said Tuesday his administration inherited an “economic catastrophe,” while accusing the Biden administration of allowing the egg prices to get “out of control.” Trump also defended his administration’s new tariffs, comments that come after the U.S. imposed 25% tariffs on Mexican and Canadian imports, and raised existing tariffs on Chinese products to 20%. Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced Tuesday that Canada would slap tariffs on more than $100 billion of American goods, and Mexico’s President Claudia Sheinbaum said Mexico would unveil its own retaliatory tariffs on Sunday. (YWN World Headquarters – NYC)
TRUMP: “Earlier today, I received an important letter from President Zelensky of Ukraine. The letter reads that Ukraine is ready to come to the negotiation table as soon as possible to bring lasting peace — Simultaneously, we’ve had serious discussions with Russia and have received strong signals they are ready for peace.”
TRUMP: “To boost our defense industrial base, we are also going to resurrect the American shipbuilding industry, including commercial shipbuilding. For that purpose, I am announcing tonight that we will create a new Office of Shipbuilding in the White House…”
TRUMP: Our new trade policy will also be great for the American farmer — who will now be selling into our home market because nobody is going to be able to compete with you — Tariffs will go on agricultural product coming into America on April 2nd — To our farmers, have a lot of fun!
Trump: ‘Thanks to our America First policies we are putting into place, we have had $1.7 trillion of new investment in America in just the past few weeks’
President Trump: “By slashing all of the fraud, waste, and theft we can find, we will defeat inflation, bring down mortgage rates, lower car payments and grocery prices, protect our seniors, and put more money in the pockets of American families — in the near future, I want to do what has not been done in 24 years: Balance the federal budget.”
A young girl is suffering. A father is breaking. A family is struggling to survive. Chana has battled a severe illness multiple times, and now, the nightmare has returned for the fourth time. Her only chance is life-saving treatment in Philadelphia, forcing her parents to leave everything behind to be with her. The financial strain is unbearable. Her father, a dedicated Torah scholar, now faces enormous medical bills, travel and living costs abroad, the responsibility of supporting his young children back home, and no income while caring for his sick daughter. CLICK HERE TO DONATE! He is overwhelmed. His family is struggling. They cannot do this alone. Let’s come together to help them in their darkest hour. Your donation can ease their burden and give them hope. This campaign is under the oversight of Vaad Harabanim Le’inyanei Tzedaka – every dollar goes directly to help this suffering family. Give today – help save a life and a family. CLICK HERE TO DONATE!
President Trump shouts out Elon Musk for his incredible DOGE efforts: “I created the Department of Government Efficiency, headed up by Elon Musk, who is here tonight. Thank you Elon. He didn’t need this. He really didn’t.”
TRUMP: Among my very highest priorities to rescue our economy from the damage and inflation nightmare unleashed on Americans by the Biden Administration.
PRESIDENT TRUMP: “I look at the Democrats in front of me and I realize there is absolutely nothing I can say to make them happy — I could find a cure to the most devastating disease — and these people sitting right here will not clap, stand, or cheer.”
