President Donald Trump has instructed the Commerce Department to change the way the Census Bureau collects data, seeking to exclude immigrants who are in the United States illegally, he said Thursday. The census’ data collections will be based on “modern day facts and figures and, importantly, using the results and information gained from the Presidential Election of 2024,” the Republican president said on his social media platform, an indication he might try to inject his politics into survey work that measures everything from child poverty to business operations. Trump stressed that as part of the changes people in “our Country illegally” will be excluded from census counts. His Truth Social post fits into an overall pattern in which he has tried to reshape basic measures of how U.S. society is faring to his liking, a process that ranges from monthly jobs figures to how congressional districts are drawn going into the 2026 midterm elections. But there could be legal challenges if he were to reshape the census, which also guides the distribution of $2.8 trillion in federal funds to the states for roads, health care and other programs. In a 2019 decision, the Supreme Court effectively blocked Trump from adding a citizenship question to the 2020 census. The 14th Amendment says that “the whole number of persons in each state” should be counted for the numbers used for apportionment, the process of allocating congressional seats and Electoral College votes among the states based on population. The last time the census included a question about citizenship was in 1950, and the Census Bureau’s own experts had predicted that millions of Hispanics and immigrants would go uncounted if the census asked everyone if he or she is an American citizen. Changes to the census could also play into the efforts by Trump to urge several Republican-led states, including Texas, to redraw their congressional maps ahead of schedule in ways that would favor GOP candidates. Redistricting typically occurs once every 10 years following the census, as states adjust district boundaries based on population changes, often gaining or losing seats in the process. Despite Texas having redrawn its maps just a few years ago, Trump is pressuring Republicans in the state to redistrict again, claiming they are “entitled” to five additional Republican seats. Texas Republicans have cited population growth as justification for redrawing the congressional map. Trump’s team is also engaged in similar redistricting discussions in other GOP-controlled states, including Missouri and Indiana. Last Friday, Trump fired the head of the Bureau of Labor Statistics, Erika McEntarfer, after standard revisions to the monthly jobs report showed that employers added 258,000 fewer jobs than previously reported in May and June. The revisions suggested that hiring has severely weakened under Trump, undermining his claims of an economic boom. The White House insists that the problem was the size of the revisions and that it wants accurate numbers. Trump’s census posting raised the question as to whether he would embark on a mid-decade census, or simply change the standards for 2030 or change how the estimates operate between censuses. It was unclear what his changes would be. It would be almost logistically impossible to carry out a mid-decade census in such a short period of time, New York Law School professor Jeffrey Wice said. Any changes in […]
The video caused a buzz on Haredi internet in the U.S. — and reignite the conversation about purchasing an apartment in Jerusalem It was filmed like a sketch. It started with a loud, exaggerated scream – “Why?? Just tell me why??” And yet, somehow, this video — circulating on social media within Haredi communities in the U.S. since the start of the week — quietly became one of the most talked-about topics during Bein Hazmanim. For more details about the Carasso Nia project > “It was hilarious,” says Yossi K., 34, a resident of Teaneck. “I was in the living room with my wife. We watched it and laughed out loud. But then there was silence. We looked at each other. That was us.” The video — humorously presented — features a young couple from the modern-Haredi community in New Jersey who unexpectedly encounter… themselves, five years from now. They are excited and stressed, telling their past selves, “Why didn’t we do it then? Why didn’t we buy the apartment?” — No holiness, no pathos — but it hits you right in the gut What probably made the video go viral is that it didn’t try to be emotional or spiritual. It isn’t about the Messiah or the Heavenly Jerusalem of above. It simply showed a humorous — yet awkward — reflection of many young couples. You hesitated? You didn’t buy? You might regret it sooner than you think. That’s exactly the kind of message that resonates with us,” says Rachel G., a mother of two from Monsey. “Not more actors standing by the Jerusalem walls with violins playing in the background. But a character yelling at herself from the future: ‘What were you thinking?!’ — and that hit home.” For more details about the Carasso Nia project > — Reactions coming in from all directions Reactions in Haredi communities across the U.S. arrived swiftly. “That’s what I’ve been telling myself for two years. You guys just turned it into a video,” wrote a member of a Hasidic real estate group. “It’s the first time an ad actually felt like someone really listened to our concerns,” wrote a young woman from Queens. Others commented: The genius was not to pursue tears — but to focus on logic. And it succeeded. Behind the video — a real estate project Despite its humorous tone, the video is part of a very real campaign: Carasso NIA Project — a new residential complex in the revitalized Talpiot neighborhood of Jerusalem, on Derech Beit Lechem, is being marketed also to Haredi and modern-Orthodox audiences from abroad. The project is located near the upcoming light rail line and features residential buildings, private rooftops with seating areas, sports and Sukkot preparation spaces, commercial zones, large green spaces, and apartments that can accommodate private sukkot. For more details about the Carasso Nia project > Turbo Digital, the marketing company behind the campaign, wasn’t hesitant to reveal their agenda. We’ve learned that our audience isn’t dumb. They’ve seen all the classic holy Jerusalem ads. It’s time to talk directly — about fears, interest rates, wars, and how all of that fades when you look five years ahead. Anyone who bought in Jerusalem five years ago made the deal of their life. And anyone buying now in an area with […]
It is with deep regret that YWN reports the petirah of Harav Avrohom Gurwitz zt”l, Rosh Yeshivas Ner Moshe, who was niftar this morning at the age of 87. Rav Gurwitz was born in Yerushalayim on 6 Elul, 5697 (1937). His family emigrated when he was a child to America, where his father received a job in rabbanus. His mother and sisters — Rebbetzin Langsam and Rebbetzin Ferber — journeyed to the United States by ship, a voyage that lasted several months. Throughout the ordeal, the family upheld strict kashrus standards, despite immense challenges — a testimony to their unwavering mesirus nefesh. In America, Rav Gurwitz learned in Yeshivas Chaim Berlin, where he quickly distinguished himself as an outstanding ben Torah. As a bochur, he returned to Eretz Yisrael alone and learned for two and a half years in Yeshivas Ponovezh, under the guidance of the roshei yeshiva. There, he became a talmid muvhak of Rav Shach zt”l, forging a deep connection to the derech haLimud and hashkafah of the yeshiva. After returning to the United States, Rav Gurwitz married and learned in Kollel Gur Aryeh. In the years that followed, he established a yeshiva geared toward bochurim who were avoiding the draft into the Vietnam War. Upon moving back to Eretz Yisrael, Rav Chaim Elfant zt”l, Rosh Yeshivas Itri, invited Rav Gurwitz to serve as a R”M in the yeshiva, launching a decades-long career of harbotzas haTorah. He later founded Yeshivas Mishkan HaTorah, and after the petirah of his father, established Yeshivas Ner Moshe in Givat Shaul, where he continued to deliver shiurim and guide talmidim until his final day. Rav Gurwitz was mechaber 23 seforim, including his acclaimed series Or Avrohom on Shas, as well as seforim on Chumash, the Megillos, the Rambam, tefillah, and the Sefer HaMitzvos. He was especially known for his emes, his deep disdain for kavod, and his anivus — values he instilled in his many talmidim. The levayah will take place today, Thursday, 13 Av, at 3:00 PM from Yeshivas Ner Moshe in Givat Shaul, continuing to Har HaZeisim, where kevurah will take place. Baruch Dayan Ha’Emes. (YWN World Headquarters – NYC)
A disruption to a system housing United Airlines’ flight information that caused more than 1,000 delays has been resolved, but delays continued into Thursday. The impacted system, called Unimatic, houses flight information that is fed to other systems including those that calculate weight and balance and track flight times, according to United. It’s not clear what caused the problem, which was resolved late Wednesday. While residual delays were expected, United said its team was working to restore normal operations. About 35% of all the airline’s flights were delayed and another 7% were canceled Wednesday, according to FlightAware, a website that tracks flight disruptions. By midmorning Thursday, 5% of United flights for the day were delayed and 4% were canceled. FlightAware reported 43 cancellations at Chicago O’Hare by Thursday morning, including 42 United flights. An alert on the Federal Aviation Administration website Wednesday said all United flights destined for Chicago were halted at their departing airports. Flights to United hubs at Denver, Newark, Houston and San Francisco airports also were affected. The airline’s travel alert page noted that a technology disruption might impact flights to or from several U.S. airports from Thursday to Sunday including Denver, Newark, Washington, Houston, New York, Los Angeles, Orlando, Chicago, San Francisco, Honolulu and Guam and some in Europe, such as London, Frankfurt and Munich. “Safety is our top priority, and we’ll work with our customers to get them to their destinations,” an emailed statement from the Chicago-based airline said. The system outage, as the company described it, lasted several hours, the statement said. It wasn’t related to recent concerns about airline industry cybersecurity. United said it was treating it as a controllable delay, meaning it paid customer expenses such as hotels when applicable. In an interview, United Airlines passenger Benjamin Fuentes, who flew from Boston to Houston, told KTRK-TV that they were told that they would be waiting for a while after the plane landed. “The first hour, people were already standing up and just walking around the cabin because there was nothing to do,” he said. “I got on Netflix.” After about an hour, they were told that the system was down nationwide, he said. Eventually, they learned that they found a gate, but it took another 45 minutes before they got there, he said. The FAA said in a statement Thursday that it was aware of the disruption to United operations, noting that delays may continue as the airline recovers. “We’ve offered full support to help address their flight backlog and remain in close contact with United,” the FAA said. United Airlines apologized on social media and said in some cases it would pay for hotel and other expenses incurred by travelers because of the delays. “Hey there, we apologize for the travel disruption today,” the airline told a customer on the social platform X. “Our teams are working to resolve the outage as quickly as possible. Thank you for your patience.” (AP)
Russian President Vladimir Putin says he hopes to meet U.S. President Donald Trump in latest bid by the White House to broker an end to the 3-year-old war in Ukraine. Putin’s foreign affairs adviser Yuri Ushakov said Thursday a meeting could take place as early as next week, although he noted that such events take time to organize. No date is confirmed. He also played down the possibility of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy joining the summit. No location has been determined, according to a White House official who was not authorized to talk publicly and spoke on condition of anonymity. The official said a Trump-Putin meeting would not happen if the Russian leader does not agree to meet with Zelenskyy. A meeting between Putin and Trump would be the first U.S.-Russia summit since former President Joe Biden met with the Kremlin leader in 2021. There’s no guarantee a Trump-Putin meeting would lead to the end of the fighting, since Moscow and Kyiv remain far apart on their conditions for peace. Key events that shaped efforts to end the war since Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine on Feb. 24, 2022: Feb. 28, 2022: Ukrainian and Russian delegations meet in neighboring Belarus for the first time since the invasion. Talks continue for the next two weeks, but no agreements emerge other than a decision to set up humanitarian corridors for civilians. March 21, 2022: Zelenskyy calls for direct talks with Putin but is rebuffed by Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov. A day later, Zelenskyy says he is prepared to discuss a commitment for Ukraine to not to seek NATO membership in exchange for a ceasefire, the withdrawal of Russian troops and a guarantee of Ukraine’s security. March 29, 2022: Talks begin in Istanbul, with Moscow saying it’s willing to “fundamentally cut back” military activity near Kyiv and the northern city of Chernihiv. Kyiv said it was open to discussing neutral status for Ukraine if its security is backed by other nations. April 7, 2022: Lavrov rejects a Ukrainian peace proposal as “unacceptable.” He says Kyiv has walked back on an agreement to exempt the Crimean Peninsula from wider Ukrainian security guarantees. Russia illegally annexed Crimea in 2014. July 22, 2022: Russia and Ukraine, with mediation by Turkey and the U.N., agree on a deal to unblock supplies of grain stuck in Ukraine’s Black Sea ports, ending a standoff that threatened global food security. The deal expires a year later. Sept. 30, 2022: Russia illegally annexes the Ukrainian regions of Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia and Kherson, even though it doesn’t fully control any of them. Ukraine responds by applying to join NATO and by enacting a decree that declares negotiations with Putin “impossible.” Dec. 7, 2024: U.S. President-elect Donald Trump meets Zelenskyy and other European leaders in Paris. Feb 12. 2025: Trump and Putin agree to begin negotiations on ending the Ukraine war in a phone call that ends a three-year U.S.-led effort to isolate Russia over Ukraine. Feb. 18, 2025: Russian and U.S. officials, including Lavrov and U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, meet in Saudi Arabia and agree to work toward ending the war, as well as restoring bilateral ties. Ukrainian officials are not invited. Feb. 28, 2025: Zelenskyy meets with Trump, Rubio and Vice President JD Vance in a […]
Pro-Hamas thugs vandalized the El Al office in Paris overnight Thursday, spraying the building with red paint and writing antisemitic statements, including “El Al: Genocide Airline” and “Free Palestine.” El Al issued a statement saying that the incident occurred while the building was empty and there was no danger to employees. “El Al views this incident with utmost seriousness and is working with French and Israeli authorities to address it,” the airline stated, adding, “We proudly display the Israeli flag on our aircraft and condemn all forms of violence, especially those driven by antisemitism.” Transportation Minister Miri Regev responded to the attack by stating, “French citizens, wake up. Today it’s El Al; tomorrow it’s Air France. When President [Emmanuel] Macron makes statements rewarding Hamas, this is the result.” “I condemn the barbaric and violent act against El Al and expect the legal authorities in France to locate the criminals and take a firm stance against them.” Israel’s Foreign Ministry stated, “Israel strongly condemns the attack on El Al Airline, whose planes bear the Israeli flag, and calls on the French government to bring the perpetrators to justice and ensure the safety of the company’s staff and offices.” “The antisemitic attacks in France must be dealt with with the utmost severity, and more must be done to combat this poisonous disease.” (YWN Israel Desk—Jerusalem)
Israel’s Health Ministry revealed on Thursday that following the discovery of the polio virus in sewage samples in the Jerusalem district, positive samples were also found in central Israel—in Bnei Brak, Ramle, Lod, and in the Dan region. These findings indicate the transmission of the polio virus among the population in these areas. The ministry emphasized the risks of the polio virus and reminded the public that the virus caused paralysis in a 17-year-old in December 2024. “In order to protect the public from polio, including from the paralysis caused by the virus, the Health Ministry calls on those who are not vaccinated against polio to urgently complete the vaccination,” the ministry stated. “Vaccinations can be received at well-baby clinics (Tipot Chalav) throughout the country and at student health services. If the child’s vaccination status is unknown, it can be checked on the government’s website via the digital vaccination record.” (YWN Israel Desk—Jerusalem)
The world experienced its third-warmest July on record this year, the European Union agency that tracks global warming said Thursday, with temperatures easing slightly for the month as compared with the record high two years ago. Despite the slightly lower global average temperature, scientists said extreme heat and deadly flooding persisted in July. “Two years after the hottest July on record, the recent streak of global temperature records is over — for now. But this doesn’t mean climate change has stopped,” said Carlo Buontempo, director of the Copernicus Climate Change Service. “We continued to witness the effects of a warming world.” The EU monitoring agency said new temperature records and more climate extremes are to be expected unless greenhouse gas concentrations in the atmosphere are brought down. On July 25, Turkey recorded its highest-ever temperature of 50.5 C (122.9 F) as it battled wildfires. While not as hot as July 2023 or July 2024, the hottest and second-hottest on record, the Copernicus report said that the planet’s average surface temperature last month was still 1.25 C (2.25 F) above the 1850-1900 pre-industrial period, before humans began the widespread burning of fossil fuels like oil, gas and coal. Despite a somewhat cooler July, the 12-month period between August 2024 and July 2025 was 1.53 C above pre-industrial levels, exceeding the threshold set in 2015 to limit human-caused warming to 1.5 C (2.7 F). Globally, 2024 was the hottest year in recorded history. Europe is warming faster than any other continent, with temperatures increasing twice as fast as the global average since the 1980s, according to Copernicus. The planet last year temporarily surpassed the warming target set at the 2015 Paris climate pact. But that target, of limiting warming within 1.5 C (2.7 F) of pre-industrial levels, is defined as a 20-year average and the world has not yet breached that threshold. Copernicus is the European Union’s earth observation system based on satellite and on-the-ground data collection. Britain rejoined the climate agency in 2023. (AP)
The military police arrested another yeshivah bochur overnight Wednesday at his home in Tel Aviv following the arrest of two bochurim earlier this week, also in Tel Aviv. According to a Kikar H’Shabbat report, he is a bochur “mitchazeik” [someone who lacks a yeshivah background] over the age of 20 who has been learning at a yeshivah in Modi’in Illit for several years. A source familiar with the details of the arrest told Kikar: “As far as the system is concerned, this is a regular yeshiva student. The Ezram V’Magenim organization received a call in the middle of the night and is now aiding the young man and his family.” He added: “The Gedolei Yisrael have decided that we must go out and demonstrate on behalf of the talmidei yeshivah who were arrested on Monday, despite the fact that they are not mainstream, because this is the army’s tactic—to start with the periphery and normalize the arrests.” “We must fight for this bochur as well, especially due to the conflict he has with his family—and I won’t elaborate.” (YWN Israel Desk—Jerusalem)
Hours-long consultations were held at the home of HaGaon HaChacham Moshe Tzadka, the Rosh Yeshivah of Yeshivas Porat Yosef, on Wednesday evening in the wake of the arrest and imprisonment of two Sephardi yeshivah bochurim at the home of their parents in Tel Aviv earlier this week. Following the meeting, an announcement was issued on the Rosh Yeshivah’s behalf that stated, “HaChacham Tzadka in a dramatic instruction: Go out and demonstrate.” “Tomorrow at 5:00 p.m. there will be a huge protest at the instruction of Maranan Rabanan Gedolei Yisrael, headed by Maran Rosh Yeshivah Chacham Moshe Tzadka. The protest will take place at ‘Tzomet Maran’ (Bar Ilan) in Jerusalem due to the conscription decree being carried out in the Chareidi community through legislation and coercion, and in particular in light of the arrest of two talmidei yeshivah from the Yitzchakoff family who were taken from their homes and arrested in the dead of night by the army authorities for the crime of limmud Torah.” HaGaon HaRav Tzadka added, “It is unfathomable that a Ben Torah in whom the ruach Hashem pulsates will not go out tomorrow (Thursday) to the city streets to protest against the bizayon of lomdei Torah—the crown of creation who are being trampled to the dust in Eretz Hakodesh.” The headline of Haderech, the Shas party’s newspaper, stated on Thursday morning: “A War For Hashem: The Olam HaTorah Prepares For A Staunch And Unprecedented Battle.” (YWN Israel Desk—Jerusalem)
The Sephardi and Litvish Gedolim have declared a war against the persecution of Lomdei Torah in the wake of the arrests and imprisonment of two Sephardi bochurim this week on charges of draft-dodging. The main headline on the front page of Thursday’s edition of the Yated Ne’eman newspaper states one word: ‘WAR.” The lines underneath the headline state: “Police and military enforcement forces conducted overnight raids on the homes of bnei yeshivos with the goal of arresting them for the ‘crime’ of limud Torah. Two brothers, talmidei yeshivah, were arrested at their home in Tel Aviv, and their detention was extended yesterday in a military court.” “Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara is leading a draconian campaign on several fronts simultaneously in an attempt to create an ‘irreversible’ conflict between state authorities and the Chareidi public.” “Roshei Yeshivah, Rabbanim, and public figures in Eretz Yisrael and the Diaspora harshly condemn these escalatory steps as the crossing of a red line in the persecution of the Olam HaTorah. These reckless actions by the State of Israel are liable to severely harm its legitimacy to serve as a representative of the Jewish people.” Inside the paper, an editorial states, “The leaders of the Israeli state have decided to place their heads in the guillotine…the drums of war are already pounding in their temples…the Jewish world is now uniting to fight for its very soul.” “When it comes to the Torah—the result has already been decided: we have won. The only question is what will happen along the way and what price the persecutors will pay. Now it is no longer a request but a warning: אל תגעו במשיחי ובנביאי אל תרעו.” The headline of Haderech, the Shas party’s newspaper, stated on Thursday morning: “A War For Hashem: The Olam HaTorah Prepares For A Staunch And Unprecedented Battle.” The lines underneath the headline state: “Anger and disgust in the face of the despicable actions of the heads of the army who dispatched the military police to arrest lomdei Torah in their homes. Urgent consultations are being held in the homes of the Gedolei Yisrael ahead of the battle that will shake the whole world.” “Rabbanim and askanim told HaDerech, ‘We’ll fight with mesirus nefesh for every ben yeshivah. We won’t give up on even one. All of Chareidi Jewry should prepare for a powerful battle.'” HaGaon Chacham Moshe Tzadka, the Rosh Yeshivah of Yeshivas Porat Yosef, instructed the members of the Sephardi Torah world to hold a massive demonstration on Thursday at 5 p.m. at the Bar Ilan intersection in Jerusalem. The Va’ad of the Hatzalas Olam HaTorah of Peleg Yerushalmi also issued a statement calling for a mass protest on Thursday at 5 p.m.: “Due to the serious escalation in the decree of shmad and the continued harassment of lomdei Torah in Eretz Yisrael by the wicked authorities and the criminal arrest of a talmid of Maorot HaTorah Yeshiva for the crime of limud Torah, the Rabbanim of the Va’ad went to the homes of HaGaon HaRav Ezriel Auerbach and the Roshei Yeshivos and received the instruction to launch a massive protest against the wicked government—masses of Bnei Torah for a huge protest in the streets of Jerusalem, at 5:00 p.m.” “HaRav Auerbach and the Roshei Yeshivas expressed a harsh view of the situation: […]
A military helicopter crashed in Ghana on Wednesday, killing all eight people on board, including the West African country’s defense and environment ministers and two other top officials, the government said. The crash was one of Ghana’s worst air disasters in more than a decade. The Ghanaian military said the helicopter took off in the morning from the capital, Accra, and was heading northwest into the interior toward the gold-mining area of Obuasi in the Ashanti region when it went off the radar. The wreckage was later found in the Adansi area of Ashanti. The cause of the crash was not immediately known, and the military said an investigation was underway. Defense Minister Edward Omane Boamah and Environment Minister Ibrahim Murtala Muhammed were killed, as well as Samuel Sarpong, vice-chair of the National Democratic Congress ruling party, Muniru Mohammed, a top national security adviser, and the four crew members. Mourners gathered at the Boamah’s residence as well as at the party’s headquarters, and Ghana’s government described the crash as a “national tragedy.” State media reported that the aircraft was a Z-9 helicopter that is often used for transport and medical evacuation. An online video of the crash site shows debris on fire in a forest as some people circle around to help. In May 2014, a service helicopter crashed off Ghana’s coast, killing at least three people. In 2012, a cargo plane overran the runway in Accra, the capital, and crashed into a bus full of passengers, killing at least 10 people. (AP)
