Yeshiva World News

TOM HOMAN: “I think the President’s happy, but we’re going to make him a lot happier… these raids are going to go on throughout the country. We’re not going to let up.”

Special Envoy to the Middle East Steve Witkoff, speaking at the opening of The Altneu Synagogue alongside the President of Israel, emphasized the urgency to free all remaining hostages, stating, “We got to get them all out.”

Yesterday, Iran unveiled the advanced “Gaza” drone, capable of carrying up to 13 bombs over long distances. Iran Unveils “Gaza” Drone with Capacity for 13 Bombs  

Islamic Jihad has released a video of Israeli hostage Arbel Yehud, proving that she is alive. The video is dated January 25. She is scheduled to be released this week.

Following the brief run of Coca-Cola Spiced, Coke is introducing a new flavor, Coca-Cola Orange Cream, set to hit shelves on February 10 in the U.S. and Canada. It will come in both regular and zero sugar versions.

The Brandenburg Gate in Berlin was illuminated with the message ‘We Remember’ to commemorate the 80th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz-Birkenau.

JD Vance is keeping his word to American voters as he makes his inaugural visit as Vice President to Damascus, Virginia today, to assess the damage from Hurricane Helene which struck in late September.

Over the weekend, much-needed rain led to mudslides and debris flows in the burn-scarred regions of Southern California.

The 80th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz by Soviet troops is being marked on Monday at the site of the former death camp, a ceremony that is widely being treated as the last major observance that any notable number of survivors will be able to attend. Among those who traveled to the site is 86-year-old Tova Friedman, who was 6 when she was among the 7,000 people liberated on Jan. 27, 1945. She believes it will the be last gathering of survivors at Auschwitz and she came from her home in New Jersey to add her voice to those warning about rising hatred and antisemitism. “The world has become toxic,” she told The Associated Press a day before the observances in nearby Krakow. “I realize that we’re in a crisis again, that there is so much hatred around, so much distrust, that if we don’t stop, it may get worse and worse. There may be another terrible destruction.” Nazi German forces murdered some 1.1 million people at the site in southern Poland, which was under German occupation during World War II. Most of the victims were Jews killed on an industrial scale in gas chambers, but also Poles, Roma, Soviet prisoners of war, and others who were targeted for elimination in the Nazi racial ideology. Elderly camp survivors, some wearing blue-and-white striped scarves that recall their prison uniforms, walked together to the Death Wall, where prisoners were executed, including Poles who resisted the occupation of their country. They were joined by Polish President Andrzej Duda, whose nation lost 6 million citizens during the war. He carried a candle and walked with Auschwitz-Birkenau State Museum director Piotr Cywinski. “We Poles, on whose land — occupied by Nazi Germans at that time — the Germans built this extermination industry and this concentration camp, are today the guardians of memory,” Duda told reporters afterward. He spoke of the “unimaginable harm” inflicted on so many people, especially the Jewish people. In all, the Nazis regime murdered 6 million Jews from all over Europe, annihilating two-thirds of Europe’s Jews and one-third of all Jews worldwide. In 2005, the United Nations designated Jan. 27 as International Holocaust Remembrance Day. Across Europe, officials and others were pausing to remember. “As the last survivors fade, it is our duty as Europeans to remember the unspeakable crimes and to honor the memories of the victims,” European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, who is German, said on X. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, who leads a nation defending itself against Russia’s brutal invasion, placed a candle at the Babyn Yar Holocaust memorial a day before in Kyiv, where tens of thousands of Jews were executed during the Nazi occupation. On Monday he arrived in Poland to attend the commemorations. “The evil that seeks to destroy the lives of entire nations still remains in the world,” he wrote on his Telegram page. Commemorations will culminate when world leaders and royalty will join with elderly camp survivors, the youngest of whom are in their 80s, at Birkenau, the part of Auschwitz where the mass murder of Jews took place. Politicians, however, have not been asked to speak this year. Due to the advanced age of the survivors, about 50 of whom are expected, organizers are choosing to make them the center […]

Israel has announced a groundbreaking agreement with NASA to send the country’s first female astronaut into space. Minister of Innovation, Science, and Technology Gila Gamliel revealed the news during the 20th Ilan Ramon International Space Conference in Tel Aviv on Monday. “I received confirmation from NASA to send the first Israeli woman astronaut into space,” Gamliel said. “We in Israel have now begun the process of searching for our candidate among our brave women.” The announcement comes as Israel strengthens its global partnerships in space technology with allies like the United States, Italy, Azerbaijan, and regional partners in the Abraham Accords, including the United Arab Emirates (UAE). The conference, named after Ilan Ramon, Israel’s first astronaut who tragically died in the 2003 Columbia Space Shuttle disaster, brought together international leaders in space exploration, including Omran Sharaf, the UAE’s assistant foreign minister for advanced science and technology, and Professor Teodoro Valente, president of the Italian Space Agency. During the conference, Valente signed an agreement with Israeli Space Agency Director Uri Oron to develop a payload for a future lunar mission. “Our space cooperation is really improving,” Valente said, noting recent bilateral advancements between Italy and Israel. President Yitzchak Herzog, in a recorded video address from New York, lauded Israel’s growing role in international space exploration. “Israel, despite being a small country, stands at the global forefront of the space field and serves as a significant factor in leading international space programs,” Herzog said. He highlighted ongoing partnerships with countries in the Abraham Accords and expressed optimism for future collaborations that will benefit both Israel and the global space community. Gamliel also highlighted the work of Israeli high school students in space innovation. Nine nano-satellites, designed and built by students from across Israel, including a school near the Gaza border, are set to launch aboard SpaceX rockets this March from the U.S. West Coast. “For us, space represents hope and resilience,” said Or Ziner, a high school senior from southern Israel who led a satellite project at her school. She shared her personal experience growing up amid rocket sirens from Gaza, underscoring the project’s significance for young Israelis. The event also carried an emotional tribute to Ilan Ramon’s legacy. “My father’s mission was not just historic for Israel but for the entire Jewish community,” said Ramon’s son, Iftah. “It became a symbol of pride, hope, and possibility.” Gamliel concluded the event by emphasizing the importance of international cooperation. “Twenty years ago, we began a journey that transformed how the world sees Israel’s role in space exploration. By continuing to forge global partnerships, we aim to solidify Israel’s status as a leader in the space industry while contributing to innovation and progress worldwide.” (YWN World Headquarters – NYC)

Some of the hostages released from Gaza in the current ceasefire were held in Hamas tunnels for up to eight consecutive months, deprived of daylight and with little to no human contact, an IDF medical officer said on Monday according to a Reuters report. “Some of them told us that they’ve been in the past few months, that they’ve been through the entire time, in tunnels, underground,” deputy chief of the Israeli military’s medical corps, Colonel Dr. Avi Banov, told journalists. “Some of them were alone through the entire time they were there,” he said. “Those who said they were together were in better physical shape.” Banov added that some of the hostages showed signs of “mild starvation.” The hostages said their treatment improved in the days leading up to their release, Banov said. They were allowed to shower, change their clothes and received better food. Citing the hostages’ privacy, Banov refused to answer whether any of the seven bore signs of torture or abuse. Some had not received proper treatment for wounds sustained when they were shot and abducted during the Hamas October 7 attack, he added. (YWN Israel Desk – Jerusalem)

Trump is set to sign an executive order to initiate the development of a new missile defense shield, an ‘Iron Dome’ for America.

A heinous act occurred late Sunday night when vandals broke into a shul located in a public bomb shelter on David Remez Street in Bat Yam. The perpetrators forced open the Aron Kodesh using electric tools, throwing a Sefer Torah to the floor and stepping on it in an appalling act of bizayon HaTorah. The scene of the desolation was discovered early Monday morning when mispallelim arrived for Shacharis. Police were called to the site, but according to witnesses, the responding officers showed indifference, staying only briefly and advising those disturbed to file complaints at the station. One of the mispallelim, Avichai Shalom, expressed his belief that the attack was driven by Palestinian nationalist motives. “No Yid would go to such lengths to break into the Aron Kodesh just to desecrate a Sefer Torah,” he said. He noted that the shul had recently undergone renovations, with Arab workers carrying out the project. The scene was described as devastating. “A Sefer Torah lay on the floor, its klafim torn,” Shalom recounted. “Other Aronei Kodesh in the shul were also broken into, but aside from two pushkas, nothing was stolen.” The shul was located in a bomb shelter to provide a makom tefillah for residents during wartime sirens, and it had become a hub for the local community. Despite the desecration, the gabbaim are determined to restore the kedushah of the shul. They are awaiting forensic investigators and have pledged to repair the damage and resume tefillos as soon as possible. (YWN World Headquarters – NYC)

IDF operations in Jenin have resulted in the elimination of over 15 terrorists, the arrest of more than 40 suspects, and the seizure of numerous weapons, including an explosive device concealed in a washing machine.

He does not appear to be a member of the Secret Service. He is a member of the US Army Criminal Investigation Command (CID) Special Agents, which in charge of all security for all Defense Department including top brass. (Thank you to the many people who sent YWN this update).

The Israel Ministry of Defence has contracted Elbit Systems for $80 million to equip the F-16I “Sufa” fleet with an advanced Airborne Self-Protection Suite. This includes Electronic Warfare solutions, an Electro-Optical Passive Missile Warning System, and chaff and flare dispensers to boost aircraft survivability.

Israel has confirmed that eight of the 26 hostages listed for release in the first phase of the Gaza ceasefire-hostage deal have been declared deceased, based on information provided by Hamas. Government spokesman David Mencer shared the devastating news with journalists, relaying details from the list submitted by Hamas. As part of the agreement, 33 hostages are to be released in the deal’s initial phase. Seven hostages have already been freed since the arrangement began on January 19, leaving 26 names remaining on the list. According to the Hamas information, 18 of these individuals are alive, while eight have tragically been confirmed dead. Overnight, Israeli authorities reported receiving the list, which provided long-awaited clarity on the fate of some of the captives. The next group of hostages—three individuals, including Arbel Yehoud and Agam Berger—is expected to be released on Thursday, followed by another group of three on Saturday. The list of 33 hostages includes women, children from the Bibas family, men over the age of 50, and individuals who are unwell or injured. On Sunday, the IDF voiced “grave concerns” over the welfare of Shiri Bibas and her two young sons, Ariel and Kfir, who remain in Gaza. For families of the hostages, the question of whether their loved ones are alive has been agonizing. Many have urged the Israeli government to negotiate a resolution as quickly as possible, fearing that time is running out. As of now, 87 of the 251 hostages taken by Hamas during its October 7 attack remain in Gaza, including the bodies of at least 34 individuals confirmed deceased by the IDF. Hamas is also holding two Israeli civilians who entered Gaza in 2014 and 2015, along with the body of an IDF soldier killed in 2014. The remains of another soldier killed in the same year were recovered earlier this month. (YWN World Headquarters – NYC)

Rabbi Yaakov Bleich, Chief Rabbi of Ukraine, learning Daf Yomi at the Gates of Auschwitz during the 80 Year Anniversary Commemoration