A radical activist group announced plans Monday for a vigil invoking one of New York City’s darkest episodes of racial and antisemitic violence – the deadly 1991 Crown Heights riots. The group, calling itself Crown Heights Bites Back, issued a statement accusing Chabad-Lubavitch of “brutally killing” Gavin Cato, a 7-year-old boy who died in a car accident in 1991 involving the Lubavitcher Rebbe’s motorcade. The group called the incident as “vehicular manslaughter by a motorcade of Jewish supremacists” and demanded “justice” for Cato. The crash, which also injured Cato’s cousin, ignited days of rioting in which mobs targeted Jewish residents, looted businesses, and murdered Yankel Rosenbaum, a 29-year-old Lubavitch chossid. The vigil is set for Tuesday at Utica Avenue and President Street, just blocks from Chabad headquarters at 770 Eastern Parkway — the same intersection where the 1991 accident occurred. “They are attempting to reignite tensions by exploiting the tragic car accident that claimed the life of Gavin Cato — an event that led to the Crown Heights riots and the antisemitic murder of Yankel Rosenbaum,” the Jewish Future Alliance, a neighborhood advocacy group, warned in a statement. “This is a dangerous pattern,” the group added. “While this fringe minority may not represent the broader community, history has shown that rhetoric like this fuels hatred and leads to real violence. It must be unequivocally condemned.” The planned vigil comes amid a series of recent flare-ups in the neighborhood. In April, Crown Heights Bites Back staged a protest that featured explicitly racial messaging, with speakers invoking the 1991 riots and accusing Jews of running over Black children. That demonstration followed a string of tensions, including a widely circulated video of a street altercation between a Jewish man and a Black man in a wheelchair, and a visit by far-right Israeli politician Itamar Ben Gvir that drew anti-Israel demonstrators to Chabad’s headquarters. The NYPD said it is aware of Tuesday’s planned vigil. Jewish leaders are urging officials to ensure that hate-fueled rhetoric does not spill over into violence once again. (YWN World Headquarters – NYC)
Israeli authorities on Monday lifted a years-long gag order shielding the identity of the man behind one of the most terrifying waves of bomb threats ever directed at Jewish communities worldwide. The suspect — long known internationally but never named in Israel — is 27-year-old Michael Kadar, an Israeli-American now fighting extradition from Norway to the United States. Kadar, dubbed the “hacker from Ashkelon,” admitted to placing nearly 2,000 fake bomb threats between 2016 and 2017. His calls targeted Jewish community centers, schools, hospitals, airlines, airports, shopping malls and police stations across the United States and other countries. The threats sparked chaos: fighter jets were scrambled, passenger planes dumped fuel and made emergency landings, schools were evacuated, and parents of Jewish children lived in terror of mass attacks. Authorities say Kadar’s campaign of intimidation extended across continents, from the U.S. and Canada to the U.K., Australia and New Zealand. His digital trail also led to AlphaBay, a now-defunct online black market, where prosecutors say he advertised a “School Email Bomb Threat Service” for $30 per threat, offering surcharges if clients wanted him to frame someone else. Court documents describe chilling threats in which Kadar allegedly claimed to be holding children hostage and threatened to execute them. U.S. officials say his conduct fits squarely within hate crimes statutes. The U.S. Justice Department has indicated Kadar could face decades in prison: up to 20 years for each hate crime charge, 10 years for each bomb threat, and five years for cyberstalking and hoax charges. Kadar was sentenced in 2018 by an Israeli court to 10 years in prison, later commuted to seven, after pleading guilty to hundreds of counts including extortion, spreading panic, computer crimes and money laundering. He was also fined 60,000 shekels. His name, however, remained under gag order in Israel due to his status as a minor at the time of some offenses — even as U.S. prosecutors and international media published it freely. The Tel Aviv District Court’s decision Monday finally removed that protection. It also allowed publication of details about his medical history. His family and defense attorney, Nir Yaslovitzh, pressed for disclosure, arguing that his health — including autism and a brain tumor — is central to his defense. Since completing his Israeli sentence in 2024, Kadar has been living in Norway with his family, where he sought asylum. Norwegian authorities denied the claim and detained him on the U.S. extradition request. His mental health has reportedly deteriorated in custody, with Ynet reporting fears he could be declared insane. Israel’s Foreign Ministry has quietly raised concerns with Oslo about his wellbeing, citing his history of repeated suicide attempts during his time in Israeli prison. His parents maintain that he never understood the gravity of his actions, believing the threats were a “game.” Prosecutors, however, say that whatever his medical conditions, Kadar’s actions were devastating. His bomb threats paralyzed institutions central to Jewish communal life, at a time of rising antisemitism worldwide. (YWN World Headquarters – NYC)
Air Canada said Tuesday it will gradually restart operations after reaching an agreement with the union for 10,000 flight attendants to end a strike that disrupted the travel plans of hundreds of thousands of travelers. The union first announced the agreement early Tuesday after Air Canada and the union resumed talks late Monday for the first time since the strike began over the weekend. The strike is affecting about 130,000 travelers a day at the peak of the summer travel season. Canada’s largest airline said flights will start resuming Tuesday evening. Flight attendants walked off the job early Saturday after turning down the airline’s request to enter into government-directed arbitration, which allows a third-party mediator to decide the terms of a new contract. The union said the agreement will guarantee members pay for work performed while planes are on the ground, resolving one of the major issues that drove the strike. “Unpaid work is over. We have reclaimed our voice and our power,” the union said in a statement. “When our rights were taken away, we stood strong, we fought back — and we secured a tentative agreement that our members can vote on.” Chief executive Michael Rousseau said restarting a major carrier is a complex undertaking and said regular service may require seven to 10 days. Some flights will be canceled until the schedule is stabilized. “Full restoration may require a week or more, so we ask for our customers’ patience and understanding over the coming days,” Rousseau said in a statement. The two sides reached the deal with the help of a mediator early Tuesday morning. The airline said mediation discussions “were begun on the basis that the union commit to have the airline’s 10,000 flight attendants immediately return to work.” Air Canada declined to comment further on the agreement until the ratification process is complete. It noted a strike or lockout is not possible during this time. Earlier, Air Canada said rolling cancellations would now extend through Tuesday afternoon after the union defied a second return-to-work order. The Canada Industrial Relations Board had declared the strike illegal Monday and ordered the flight attendants back on the job. But the union said it would defy the directive. Union leaders also ignored a weekend order to submit to binding arbitration and end the strike by Sunday afternoon. The board is an independent administrative tribunal that interprets and applies Canada’s labor laws. The government ordered the board to intervene. Labor leaders objected to the Canadian government’s repeated use of a law that cuts off workers’ right to strike and forces them into arbitration, a step the government took in recent years with workers at ports, railways and elsewhere. “Your right to vote on your wages was preserved,” the union said in a post on its website. Air Canada operates around 700 flights per day. The airline estimated Monday that 500,000 customers would be affected by flight cancellations. Aviation analytics firm Cirium said that as of Monday afternoon, Air Canada had called off at least 1,219 domestic flights and 1,339 international flights since last Thursday, when the carrier began gradually suspending its operations ahead of the strike and lockout that began early Saturday. Toronto’s Pearson International Airport, Canada’s largest, said it will deploy additional staff to assist passengers and support startup […]
Foreign Minister Gideon Saar sent a letter this week to U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio conveying Israel’s official position regarding the UNIFIL force in southern Lebanon. The UNIFIL force, whose mandate expires in August, was established to enforce UN resolutions in Lebanon and prevent Hezbollah from arming itself after the Second Lebanon War. Sa’ar’s letter states that Israel’s position is to end UNIFIL’s mandate immediately. Alternatively, if a transition period is required, the mandate can be extended for a limited period of six months to a year to allow for an orderly dismantling of the force. However, Saar emphasizes that its operations should not continue beyond that. The minister added that this timeframe will suffice for the redeployment of Lebanese army forces in the south of the country and the organized evacuation of UNIFIL positions. During the transition period, UNIFIL will focus on specific tasks only, such as assisting in the removal of explosives and mines, training the Lebanese army in various fields, and the orderly evacuation of the organization’s positions. Saar notes that the window of opportunity created after the last war and the weakening of Hezbollah makes it possible to advance two main goals: disarming Hezbollah and assisting the Lebanese army in gaining full control of its territory. Saar wrote that UNIFIL has been operating in the area for 47 years and that its original purpose, as reflected in its name “United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon,” was intended to be a temporary presence only. Saar’s appeal comes ahead of expected discussions in the UN Security Council on renewing UNIFIL’s mandate and following lengthy discussions in Israel’s political and security establishment. Saar is expected to meet with Rubio, who also serves as the U.S. National Security Advisor, during his visit to Washington next week. There are about 10,000 UNIFIL peacekeepers in southern Lebanon. while the official Lebanese army has only about 6,000 soldiers. Sarit Zehavi, a former Israeli military intelligence analyst and founder of the Israeli think tank Alma Research and Education Center, told the Associated Press that UNIFIL has played a “damaging role with regard to the mission of disarming Hezbollah in south Lebanon.” She noted the discovery of Hezbollah tunnels and weapons caches close to UNIFIL facilities during and after last year’s Israel-Hezbollah war. U.N. spokesperson Stephane Dujarric said UNIFIL continues to discover unauthorized weapons, including rocket launchers, mortar rounds and bomb fuses, this week, which it reported to the Lebanese army. (YWN Israel Desk—Jerusalem)
A Jewish family came under a vicious antisemitic attack in Vienna on Monday amid a wave of spiraling antisemitic attacks in Austria, in Europe, and throughout the world in recent months. According to local media reports, a couple, their two children, ages 10 and 13, and a 75-year-old relative ordered an Uber ride. In the course of the ride, the Uber driver realized that some of the passengers were Israeli and started shouting and calling them “murderers” and “child murderers.” The driver then said that he was “not interested in driving child murderers” and stopped the car on the side of the road and forced the family out of the car. He also got out of the car and continued to verbally assault the family, and even physically attacked the father. The family contacted the IKG Vienna’s Reporting Centre for Antisemitism, which helped them file a police complaint. IKG President Oskar Deutsch said that that attack was not an isolated incident, saying that Jews in Austria are often subjected to insults, and this is “often legitimized.” “If decisive action isn’t taken against this by politicians and the rule of law, as well as by civil society—by individual activists on the streets or in social media, in editorial offices and by cultural workers, by teachers and others in our society—then there will soon be no place left for Jews in Europe. No, that’s not an exaggeration. We’ve reached the tip of the iceberg.” B’Chadrei Chareidim reported another recent antisemitic incident in Vienna that happened to a Jewish couple walking on the street on the way home from the Great Synagogue on Friday night. Two men suddenly approached them and shouted a stream of curses into the husband’s ear. Avi, the man who was attacked, told B’Chadrei that he and his wife were very frightened: “Two antisemites are standing in front of me screaming ‘Free Palestine,”Free Gaza,’ and ‘To hell with Israel,’ and more curses. Luckily, his friend grabbed him seconds before he physically assaulted us.” “I don’t know if they were locals or immigrants; we didn’t notice. It was very stressful, and if his friend hadn’t stopped him, it would have ended in a physical assault.” (YWN Israel Desk—Jerusalem)
A federal judge in Miami issued a split decision in a lawsuit over the legal rights of detainees at the immigration detention center in the Florida Everglades known as “Alligator Alcatraz,” dismissing part of the suit and also moving the case to a different jurisdiction. U.S. District Judge Rodolfo Ruiz issued the decision late Monday, writing in a 47-page ruling that claims the detainees at the facility don’t have confidential access to their lawyers or to hearings in immigration court were rendered moot when the Trump administration recently designated the Krome North Processing Center near Miami as a site for their cases to be heard. The judge heard arguments from both sides in a hearing earlier Monday in Miami. Civil rights civil rights attorneys were seeking a preliminary injunction to ensure detainees at the facility have access to their lawyers and can get a hearing. The state and federal government had argued that even though the isolated airstrip where the facility is located is owned by Miami-Dade County, Florida’s southern district was the wrong venue since the detention center is located in neighboring Collier County, which is in the state’s middle district. Judge Ruiz had hinted during a hearing last week that he had some concerns over which jurisdiction was appropriate. “Much has changed since the complaint’s filing,” Ruiz wrote. Six of the plaintiffs have met with lawyers through videoconference, though they claimed the conferences are not confidential since they are not in an enclosed room and staff is close by and in listening proximity to the detainees. A subset of detainees alleged they are eligible for bond hearings and their lawyers have been “unable to access — yet alone identify — the proper court for those hearings.” But Ruiz noted the facts in the case changed Saturday, when the Trump administration designated the Krome facility as the immigration court with jurisdiction over all detainees at the detention center. Ruiz wrote that the case has “a tortured procedural history” since it was filed July 16, weeks after the first group of detainees arrived at the facility. “Nearly every aspect of the Plaintiffs’ civil action — their causes of action, their facts in support, their theories of venue, their arguments on the merits and their requests for relief — have changed with each filing,” the judge wrote. The judge granted the state defendants change of venue motion to the Middle District of Florida, where the remaining claims of First Amendment violations will be addressed. The state and federal government defendants made an identical argument last week about jurisdiction for a second lawsuit in which environmental groups and the Miccosukee Tribe sued to stop further construction and operations at the Everglades detention center until it’s in compliance with federal environmental laws. U.S. District Judge Kathleen Williams in Miami on Aug. 7 ordered a 14-day halt on additional construction at the site while witnesses testified at a hearing that wrapped up last week. She has said she plans to issue a ruling before the order expires later this week. She had yet to rule on the venue question. (AP)
Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer recently made a secret visit to the United Arab Emirates, Kan News reported on Tuesday morning. According to the report, Demer was accompanied by a high-level delegation. The senior Israeli officials met with their Emirati counterparts and discussed the war in Gaza, a possible hostage release deal, security issues and diplomatic ties. In response to a Kan inquiry, Dermer’s office responded, “We have no comment.” Israeli media reported last week that Dermer intends to retire from politics before the next election. (YWN Israel Desk—Jerusalem)
Another yeshiva bochur was arrested by the military police overnight Monday for the crime of limmud Torah at his home in Or Yehuda, a city in central Israel. Military police arrived at his home at about 1:45 am, arrested him in front of his shocked parents, and immediately transferred him to military prison. The bochur, Daniel Yasipov, 23, a talmid at the Nezer Yisrael Yeshiva in Modi’in Illit, stems from a mesorati (traditional) family, and after he grew closer to Yiddishkeit on his own, began learning in yeshivah. Since joining the yeshivah world, he submitted his army deferments in accordance with the law, only stopping in recent months at the instructions of the Gedolei HaDor. Anger is growing among Chareidi askanim over the wave of arrests in recent weeks. “This is a targeted hunt for bnei yeshivos, aimed at creating an atmosphere of rare enforcement specifically during a sensitive period of discussions surrounding the conscription law,” one source told B’Chadrei Chareidim. Senior Chareidi officials added that the arrests, carried out in the middle of the night, “are intended to create intimidation and public pressure.” Kikar H’Shabbat reported that all the bnei yeshivos arrested for “draft-dodging” (and even those whom the IDF attempted to arrest but were unsuccessful) in recent weeks are Sephardi, ba’alei teshuvah, or geirim. A senior source close to one of the senior Rabbanim affiliated with Shas claimed to Kikar, “This is a deliberate move by the IDF. They are afraid to deal with the Litvaks and chassidim—they’re afraid that there will be a huge commotion there—so they come to the ‘weak,’ to our talmidei yeshivos and ba’alei teshuva. It’s a disgrace that must be dealt with.” “We are, of course, against the arrest of any talmid yeshiva—anyone who sits and learns Torah should be allowed to learn without any disturbance—but it is unacceptable that an enforcement operation is directed only at our community. This is unforgivable.” On the other hand, sources in the IDF claimed in a conversation with Kikar that these are general arrest operations and are not directed at Sephardim and ba’alei teshuva. “The operations are being carried out in non-Chareidi areas, so naturally, in the mixed areas there are more Sephardim and ba’alei teshuva,” they said. (YWN Israel Desk—Jerusalem)
Sacred and rare. A halachic ruling concerning inheritance and the appointment of guardians for orphans, issued in the Beis Din of the renowned gaon, “the father of hora’ah upon whom all of Klal Yisrael relies”, Rabbi Yosef Teumim, author of Pri Megadim, signed with his holy handwritten signature.
A day after Yisrael Hayom reported that Israel is considering closing the French consulate in Jerusalem in response to France’s move to recognize a Palestinian state, the French Foreign Ministry denied the reports and claimed that it was unaware of any intention by Israel to advance the move. “We have not received any notification from the Israeli authorities about such a step, which would particularly harm our bilateral relations and provoke a strong response,” a spokesman for the French Foreign Ministry said. The French consulate, located near the Old City of Jerusalem, also provides services to Palestinians and maintains contact with the Palestinian Authority. Yisrael Hayom reported on Sunday evening that during Sunday morning’s cabinet meeting, Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar recommended to Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu to close the French Consulate in Jerusalem in response to France’s move to unilaterally recognize a Palestinian state. During the meeting, Diaspora Affairs Minister Amichai Chikli demanded that Israel respond harshly to France, saying, “Macron’s move caused severe harm to the hostages and Israel, and no statement from us on the matter is sufficient. Drastic measures are required against France, primarily the nationalization of its assets in Jerusalem, and first and foremost the closure of the consulate.” Sa’ar responded by confirming that the closure of the consulate is under review and he had recommended that Netanyahu advance the move. According to the report, Netanyahu seemed to be in favor of the move. An official decision on the matter is expected soon. (YWN Israel Desk—Jerusalem)
It started with a phone call. In January 2022, a young bochur in shidduchim reached out. He wasn’t looking for a shadchan—he already had suggestions. What he didn’t have was clarity. Where should he take a girl for a first date? How should the evening be planned so it’s appropriate yet pleasant? How do you avoid the awkwardness of not knowing what’s expected? That one call turned into dozens. Then hundreds. It quickly became clear: the practical side of dating was being overlooked. So, we launched the Dating Resources Network—a simple hotline where bochurim could get hadrachah for planning dates, advice on what’s appropriate, and help thinking through the details. Today, that hotline supports and coaches bochurim through more than 4,000 dates every single year—offering guidance, reassurance, and practical direction at a stage when many feel lost. But the calls also revealed another challenge. Sometimes, a bochur knew exactly where he wanted to go—he just didn’t have the tools to make the date run smoothly. A Waze device for navigation, an umbrella for a rainy night, a board game for a relaxed activity—small things that can make a big difference. We began stocking a few shelves and boxes with these items. Today, those shelves have grown into 16 dating gemach locations across the country, accessed over 20,000 times a year. But then, a deeper issue emerged. Parents began to reach out. Shadchanim quietly shared that promising suggestions weren’t moving forward. The reason? Money. By the time you factor in a car rental, tolls, gas, and parking, a first date can easily cost over $165. And that’s before you calculate the costs of activities and dining on later dates. Multiply that across several dates, and for many families—especially those already managing tight budgets—the expense was simply out of reach. Dates were being improperly planned, others were too busy calculating costs to properly focus on the actual date, and yet others were simply not giving yeses at all. That’s when we launched our Financial Aid Program—a discreet, dignified way to ensure that no one is held back from building a future because of money. Every application is carefully reviewed by rabbanim, and once approved, the bochur receives direct support to cover his dating expenses. To ensure every penny is well spent, we set clear maximum reimbursement amounts—no open checks. In just the past year, over $240,000 has been distributed—quietly enabling hundreds of young men to date without shame or hesitation. And remarkably, the entire initiative is 100% volunteer-run. We have no payroll, no salaries—every dollar donated goes directly to helping bochurim move forward. It’s quiet work. No headlines. No fanfare. But week after week, more couples begin their journey that might never have happened without a small amount of guidance—and a little bit of help. Partner with us today in writing the future of Klal Yisrael one date at a time. CLICK HERE and Donate Now
President Donald Trump said Monday during talks with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and European leaders that a potential ceasefire and who gets Ukrainian territory seized by Russia should be hashed out during a face-to-face meeting between the warring countries’ two leaders. The talks at the White House came days after Trump hosted Russian President Vladimir Putin for a summit at a U.S. military base in Alaska in which he tilted toward Putin’s demands that Ukraine make concessions over land seized by Russia, which now controls roughly one-fifth of Ukrainian territory. “We’re going to let the president go over and talk to the president and we’ll see how that works out,” Trump said during his meeting with Zelenskyy and the European leaders. Trump and Zelenskyy also expressed hope of soon holding three-way talks among the U.S., Russian and Ukrainian leaders. Trump also said he would back European security guarantees for Ukraine as he met with Zelenskyy and the leaders of France, Britain, Germany, Italy and Finland, as well as the president of the European Commission and the head of NATO. Trump stopped short of committing U.S. troops to a collective effort to bolster Ukraine’s security. He said instead that there would be a “NATO-like” security presence and that all those details would be hashed out with EU leaders. “They want to give protection and they feel very strongly about it and we’ll help them out with that,” Trump said. “I think its very important to get the deal done.” Speaking Monday before the White House meetings took place, Russia’s Foreign Ministry rejected the idea of a possible NATO peacekeeping force in Ukraine. Such a scenario could see further escalation and “unpredictable consequences,” ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova warned. Trump’s engagement with Zelenskyy had a strikingly different feel to their last Oval Office meeting in February. It was a disastrous moment that led to Trump abruptly ending talks with the Ukrainian delegation, and temporarily pausing some aid for Kyiv, after he and Vice President JD Vance complained that Zelenskyy had shown insufficient gratitude for U.S. military assistance. Zelenskyy at the start of the meeting presented a letter from his wife, Olena Zelenska, for Trump’s wife, Melania. Trump hand-delivered a letter to Putin from the U.S. first lady urging him to consider the children impacted by the conflict and bring an end to the brutal 3 1/2 year war. Trump at one point needled Zelenskyy over Ukraine delaying elections. They had been scheduled for last year but were delayed because of the ongoing Russian invasion. Ukrainian law does not allow presidential elections to be held when martial law is in effect. Trump joked that a similar circumstance wouldn’t play well in the U.S. Zelenskyy faced criticism during his February meeting from a conservative journalist for appearing in the Oval Office in a long sleeve T-shirt. This time he appeared in dark jacket and buttoned-shirt. Zelenskyy has said his typically less formal attire since the start of the full-scale Russian invasion in 2022 is to show solidarity with Ukrainian soldiers. Monday’s hastily assembled meeting came after Trump met in Alaska on Friday with Putin. After that meeting, Trump said the onus is now on Zelenskyy to agree to concessions of land that he said could end the war. Trump said he plans to talk to […]
JUST IN: Woman traveling from New York to Washington, D.C. ARRESTED and charged with two federal crimes after allegedly threatening to kill President Trump. Yet another example of the Democrat Party’s culture of hate and violence.
AG Pam Bondi on demanding sanctuary jurisdictions end their reckless policies: “We are going to send in law enforcement… If they’re not going to keep their citizens safe, Donald Trump will keep them safe.”
A federal judge has issued an injunction preventing the Trump administration’s Federal Trade Commission from investigating Media Matters for America, the liberal media watchdog group that had alleged the spread of hate speech on X since Elon Musk acquired the social media platform. U.S. District Court Judge Sparkle L. Sooknanan ruled Friday that the FTC’s probe of Media Matters, “purportedly to investigate an advertiser boycott concerning social media platforms,” represents a clear violation of the group’s freedom of speech. “It should alarm all Americans when the government retaliates against individuals or organizations for engaging in constitutionally protected public debate,” Sooknanan wrote. Even before the FTC got involved, Media Matters has been defending itself against a lawsuit by Musk following the organization’s November 2023 story that, following Musk’s purchase of the social media site once known as Twitter, antisemitic posts and other offensive content were appearing next to advertisements there. Sooknanan said the injunction halting any FTC probe was merited because Media Matters is likely to succeed on its claim that the FTC is being used to retaliate against it for a critical article on a Trump supporter. “The court’s ruling demonstrates the importance of fighting over folding, which far too many are doing when confronted with intimidation from the Trump administration,” said Angelo Carusone, chairman and president of Media Matters. There was no immediate comment from an FTC spokesman. (AP)
Israel’s Foreign Ministry on Monday morning published a photo as part of its public relations campaign hitting back at Hamas’s libelous propaganda that Israel is causing mass starvation in the Gaza Strip. The photo features Hima Barbakh, a popular Gaza Tiktoker, whose photos since June 2024 prove that perhaps he may have been indulging too much at local Gazan restaurants. Yes, restaurants in Gaza are open, packed with customers, and serving expensive delicacies and rich desserts—a fact that can easily be verified on Gazan social media accounts and other sources online. Perhaps Barbakh will soon partner with Ozempic to tackle the obesity problem in Gaza. A YouTube video entitled Top 5 Restaurants in Gaza—Summer 2025 (Genocide Never Tasted So Good) features numerous images of Gazans indulging in expensive meat, seafood, and fancy desserts in crowded Gazan restaurants. The caption to the video states, “This is not satire. Not AI. Every restaurant shown in this video is currently open and active in Gaza—summer 2025. All footage comes from their real Instagram accounts, linked below.” “But the real story here isn’t about food. It’s about the narrative — what you’re being shown (and what you’re not). Because this is not what famine looks like. And it’s not what genocide looks like.” “Meanwhile, real famine is happening in Yemen, and real genocide is being carried out against Christians in the Middle East—but those stories don’t fit the script.” The same YouTuber published another video entitled No, Gaza Isn’t Starving – Here’s Proof in Under 60 Seconds: (YWN Israel Desk—Jerusalem)
The Gur Chassidus – the largest Chassidus in Israel – has launched a new fundraising initiative to cover the costs of maintaining its central Beis Medrash in Yerushalauim: the sale of permanent seats, with some going for as much as one million shekel. The move marks a departure from the longstanding practice in the chassidus of renting seats and auctioning kibbudim, which have traditionally been a key source of revenue for shuls facing mounting operational expenses. According to the plan, prime seats near the Rebbe’s seat in the Beis Medrash will be sold for sums exceeding one million shekel, while others will start at 100,000 shekel. In addition, members of the kehilla at large are being encouraged to contribute through monthly pledges beginning at 230 shekel. Organizers project that the initiative could generate roughly 23 million shekel annually to sustain Ger’s headquarters in Yerushalayim, which serves as the global center of the chassidus. Despite the high sums being raised, the seats themselves are far from luxurious. Even those who pay the most will receive a place on a simple wooden bench without a backrest. (YWN World Headqwuarters – NYC)
President Donald Trump on Monday pledged new changes to the nation’s election system, promising to eliminate mail voting and voting machines, though the Constitution gives the president little authority over how elections are conducted. In a post on his social media site, Trump said he intends to issue another executive order “to help bring HONESTY to the 2026 Midterm elections.” He has previously directed his administration to explore measures such as requiring proof of citizenship for voter registration. The remarks repeat claims of widespread election fraud that Trump has promoted since his 2020 loss, though numerous reviews, audits, and court rulings have found no evidence of significant irregularities. An Associated Press investigation after the 2020 election identified fewer than 475 potential fraud cases in six battleground states—far below the margin needed to alter results. Trump also claimed that the United States is the only country that uses mail voting, though nations such as Germany, Switzerland and the United Kingdom have long employed it. Mail balloting remains common in the U.S. and is used by about one-third of voters. On voting machines, Trump argued for replacing them with paper ballots featuring watermarks. Election experts note that most Americans already vote on paper ballots, which provide a paper trail for audits, while watermarks alone cannot substitute for tabulating machines. Legal experts emphasize that elections in the U.S. are run by states and local jurisdictions, with Congress having the authority to set federal election rules. The Constitution does not grant the president any direct role. Courts have already blocked parts of Trump’s earlier executive order on elections, ruling that only Congress can establish national standards. “It’s very limited to zero authority that the president has over election conduct,” said Rick Hasen, a UCLA election law professor. Trump’s comments came after a meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in the Oval Office and shortly after he told Fox News that Russian President Vladimir Putin had echoed his concerns about U.S. voting practices during their meeting in Alaska. Even with Republican control of Congress, major changes such as eliminating voting machines or mail voting face steep hurdles. Many GOP-led states—including Arizona, Florida and Utah—rely on mail ballots, and military personnel stationed overseas also vote by mail. (YWN World Headquarters – NYC)
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A coalition of attorneys general from 20 states and Washington, D.C., is asking a federal judge to stop the U.S. Department of Justice from withholding federal funds earmarked for crime victims if states don’t cooperate with the Trump administration’s immigration enforcement efforts. The lawsuit filed Monday in Rhode Island federal court seeks to block the Justice Department from enforcing conditions that would cut funding to a state or subgrantee if it refuses to honor civil immigration enforcement requests, denies U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers access to facilities or fails to provide advance notice of release dates of individuals possibly wanted by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement because of their immigration status. The lawsuit asks that the conditions be thrown out, arguing that the administration and the agency are overstepping their constitutional and administrative authority. The lawsuit also argues that the requirements are not permitted or outlined in the Victims of Crime Act, known as VOCA, and would interfere with policies created to ensure victims and witnesses report crimes without fear of deportation. “These people did not ask for this status as a crime victim. They don’t breakdown neatly across partisan lines, but they share one common trait, which is that they’ve suffered an unimaginable trauma,” New Jersey Attorney General Matthew J. Platkin said during a video news conference Monday, calling the administration’s threat to withhold funds “the most heinous act” he’s seen in politics. The federal conditions were placed on VOCA funding, which provides more than a billion dollars annually to states for victims compensation programs and grants that fund victims assistance organizations. VOCA funding comes entirely from fines and penalties in federal court cases, not from tax dollars. Every state and territory has a victims compensation program that follows federal guidelines, but largely is set up under state law to provide financial help to crime victims, including medical expense reimbursement, paying for crime scene cleanup, counseling or helping with funeral costs for homicide victims. VOCA covers the cost of about 75% of state compensation program awards. The funds are also used to pay for other services, including testing rape kits, funding grants to domestic violence recovery organizations, trauma recovery centers and more. Advocates and others argue that the system needs to protect victims regardless of their immigration status and ensure that reporting a crime does not lead to deportation threats. They also say that marginalized communities, such as newly arrived immigrants, are more likely to be crime targets. “The federal government is attempting to use crime victim funds as a bargaining chip to force states into doing its bidding on immigration enforcement,” New York Attorney General Letitia James, who also joined the lawsuit, said in a statement Monday. “These grants were created to help survivors heal and recover, and we will fight to ensure they continue to serve that purpose … We will not be bullied into abandoning any of our residents.” The Associated Press left a message seeking comment from a DOJ spokesperson Monday afternoon. President Donald Trump’s administration has sought to withhold or pull back other federal funding or grant funding midstream, saying awardees and programs no longer agree with its priorities. In April, it canceled about $800 million in DOJ grants, some of which were awarded to victims service and survivor organizations. And in June, […]
