Matzav

Kamala Harris will travel to Michigan next week to campaign alongside Democratic Senate nominee Abdul El-Sayed, marking their first joint public appearance since she endorsed the progressive candidate following his August primary victory.

The appearance comes as national Democrats seek to rally behind El-Sayed following a contentious primary that exposed divisions within the party, particularly over U.S. support for Israel. Harris and El-Sayed have spoken several times since her endorsement, but Tuesday’s event will be the first time they appear publicly together.

Harris and El-Sayed are scheduled to participate in a roundtable Tuesday focusing on Black maternal health, according to his campaign. El-Sayed is a physician who previously headed the health departments in Detroit and Wayne County.

Harris spokesman Eduardo Negrón said the visit is intended in part to encourage Democratic turnout in Michigan.

“Vice President Harris looks forward to returning to Michigan to help turn out the vote in this critical state,” Negrón said in a statement. “It is critical we flip the Senate so we can bring down prices and stand up to Donald Trump’s corruption.”

El-Sayed, whose full name is Abdulrahman Mohamed El-Sayed, will face Republican Mike Rogers in November for the Senate seat being vacated by retiring Sen. Gary Peters. Rogers, a former congressman, and other Republicans have sought to portray El-Sayed’s progressive politics as outside Michigan’s mainstream.

“They believe that they can move the state and the country, by the way, to be more accepting of this socialism,” Rogers told Breitbart News, describing El-Sayed as the “Democratic Socialists of America darling right now” and calling the race “crazy versus common sense.”

El-Sayed has drawn substantial criticism from pro-Israel groups and some Jewish leaders over his rhetoric concerning Israel and the war in Gaza. He has repeatedly accused Israel of committing “genocide” and “apartheid,” advocated ending U.S. military assistance to Israel — including defensive aid — and declined during a CNN interview to say that Israel has a right to exist as a Jewish state.

During an April CNN interview, El-Sayed was asked whether he considered the Israeli government to be as evil as Hamas.

“Yes, killing tens of thousands of people makes you pretty damn evil,” El-Sayed responded. “It’s not how evil is this one versus that one — Hamas: Evil, Israeli government: Evil. We can say both.”

Asked by CNN in July whether Israel has a right to exist, El-Sayed repeatedly declined to answer the question directly. “Israel exists. The question is whether or not we want a politics where our money is sent over to Israel to do genocide and apartheid instead of investing in our own kids,” he said. When pressed again, he responded, “I’m not — I’m not going to play this gotcha game about whether or not it has a right to exist.”

El-Sayed also faced criticism over his response to a March attack on Temple Israel in West Bloomfield. Although he condemned the attack, he subsequently said, “Hurt people hurt people,” while discussing the attacker’s family history and the Middle East conflict. Some Jewish leaders and political opponents charged that the remark minimized or rationalized the attack. El-Sayed apologized in August for the controversy, saying, “My comments may have been misconstrued to justify something I did not mean to justify,” and adding, “To anyone who feels like my comments might have been hurtful, I’m really sorry.”

His association with left-wing streamer Hasan Piker has generated additional controversy. Piker, who previously campaigned alongside El-Sayed, has made inflammatory statements about Israel and Jewish Americans, including saying Hamas was “1,000 times better” than Israel. After Piker recently faced criticism for remarks suggesting that American Jews who strongly identify with Israel were “making antisemitism worse,” El-Sayed distanced himself from the comments, saying, “nobody speaks for this campaign besides me and my campaign spokespeople.” El-Sayed added, “My commitment to Jewish safety is the same as my commitment to the safety of my own daughters.”

Polling cited in the original report indicated a close contest. A Detroit News/WDIV-TV survey put Rogers at 45.8 percent and El-Sayed at 44.4 percent, after previous polling had shown El-Sayed ahead.

Harris endorsed El-Sayed after his August primary victory, praising his candidacy and emphasizing the importance of the election.

“Dr. Abdul El-Sayed understands that the power is with the people, and that the stakes couldn’t be higher in this election,” Harris said at the time.

White House communications director Steven Cheung responded critically to Harris’ endorsement, writing that Harris “should really re-evaluate her life choices before running for president again.”

The Michigan contest is being closely watched because Democrats are seeking to retain the seat currently held by Peters while attempting to gain control of the Senate. El-Sayed’s narrow primary victory over Rep. Haley Stevens followed a bitter campaign that highlighted Democratic disagreements over Israel and progressive politics. Other prominent Democrats have since moved to support El-Sayed as the party seeks unity ahead of November.

A Manhattan judge has ordered New York City officials to produce communications between Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s administration and the Rent Guidelines Board as part of a lawsuit alleging that City Hall improperly influenced the independent panel before it approved a historic rent freeze.

New York State Supreme Court Justice Brendan Lantry granted the landlords challenging the freeze limited discovery, directing the city to turn over written communications between City Hall personnel and Rent Guidelines Board officials covering the period leading up to the board’s June vote. The ruling does not give the plaintiffs access to internal communications solely among Mamdani administration officials or solely among board personnel.

In explaining why he authorized the unusual discovery request, Lantry pointed to Mamdani’s campaign pledge that rents would be frozen if he became mayor.

“The question naturally arises: How would the Mayor comply with his ‘guarantee’ to the voters to ‘freeze’ the rent unless he, or his staff, communicated with the Board to ensure that the Board refrained from imposing any rental increase?” Lantry wrote.

The order represents the latest development in a lawsuit filed by landlords seeking to invalidate the Rent Guidelines Board’s June 25 decision establishing a zero-percent increase for both one- and two-year leases covering roughly one million rent-stabilized apartments.

Under the board’s decision, the freeze applies to qualifying leases beginning between Oct. 1, 2026, and Sept. 30, 2027.

Mamdani had made a rent freeze a prominent campaign pledge before taking office. In February, he named six members to the nine-member Rent Guidelines Board, including its chair. City Hall described the RGB at the time as an independent body responsible for determining annual rent adjustments for the city’s rent-stabilized housing.

The landlords filed their lawsuit in July, contending that the board did not independently give proper consideration to the financial circumstances facing property owners. Instead, they allege that the process was geared toward producing the outcome Mamdani had promised during his campaign. The city disputes those allegations.

Attorneys for the city and the board have maintained that the Rent Guidelines Board followed the required process and considered extensive research and testimony before reaching its decision. They have argued that tenants were struggling to absorb additional increases and that the record provided a rational basis for the freeze.

“The court acknowledges that discovery in a special proceeding is rare,” Lantry wrote, adding that it was also “unprecedented” for a mayoral candidate to guarantee that an independent board would freeze rents after his election.

Randy Mastro, an attorney representing the landlords, welcomed the decision, saying the communications could bolster their argument that the board’s deliberations produced “a predetermined outcome.”

The broader lawsuit asks the court to throw out the rent freeze and direct the Rent Guidelines Board to reconsider the matter. The challenged rent guidelines remain scheduled to take effect Oct. 1 while the litigation proceeds.

{Matzav.com}

Kim Yo Jong, the powerful sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, has rejected international demands that Pyongyang abandon its nuclear weapons, ridiculing such efforts as “silly talk” and “all noises” while insisting that North Korea’s status as a nuclear-armed state is “absolute.”

Kim, a senior figure in North Korea’s ruling Workers’ Party, issued the comments Thursday as delegates gathering in Vienna for the 70th regular session of the International Atomic Energy Agency’s General Conference considered a resolution addressing North Korea’s nuclear program.

“The human beings who are talking about the change of the present position of our state should clearly understand how miserable it is and how useless it is,” Kim Yo Jong said in a statement carried by the state-run Korean Central News Agency.

She went on to mock those who believe North Korea can be persuaded to reverse course on its nuclear program.

“If they believe that it is really possible, they will only hear the word of idiots who are ignorant of the law of the world.

“In fact, if there are no rogues against the DPRK, many countries will probably not have to waste time on empty talk and will live in a safer and peaceful world.”

Kim brushed aside renewed international demands for North Korean denuclearization as “all noises, not surprising and not new.”

“No matter how desperately the IAEA and the West may hold periodic meetings and talk about the denuclearization according to the fixed scenario, they can have no effect on the will and ability of the DPRK to take all necessary measures to defend the supreme interests of the state,” she said.

She further asserted that North Korea’s possession of nuclear weapons was irreversible and portrayed the country’s arsenal as a means of deterring its adversaries.

“The DPRK’s position as a nuclear weapons state is absolute … and its powerful existence makes a significant contribution to deterring the outrageous acts of international rogues and ensuring peace and security,” Kim Yo Jong continued.

“No matter how rhetorically the hostile forces may deny, the reality in which the nuclear position of the DPRK has been permanently settled physically and legally cannot change even a bit.

“No one and nothing can ever reverse the crucial changes in the strength and position of the DPRK and prevent them in the future, too.”

Her remarks came amid continuing scrutiny of North Korea’s nuclear infrastructure. In his latest assessment of the country’s nuclear activities, IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi said the agency had identified a second uranium-enrichment facility at Yongbyon and detected signs that enrichment operations were continuing at both Yongbyon and Kangson, Reuters reported.

International monitors have also seen indications that nuclear reactors located at the Yongbyon complex remain operational.

The IAEA has been unable to carry out on-the-ground verification work inside North Korea since April 2009. Grossi said Pyongyang’s continued expansion of its nuclear program violates United Nations Security Council resolutions and remains a “cause for serious concern.”

With inspectors unable to enter the country, the IAEA has monitored North Korea’s nuclear developments through satellite imagery and other publicly available information, including photographs released by North Korean state media.

{Matzav.com}

The Trump administration has announced new visa restrictions targeting South African nationals it determines are responsible for or complicit in race-based discrimination, uncompensated land seizures or incitement of violence against racial or ethnic minorities, escalating a long-running dispute between Washington and Pretoria over the treatment of Afrikaners and other minority groups.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Tuesday that the new policy was being implemented because “the South African government has not adequately addressed the previously laid out concerns.”

“The United States will not allow such behavior to go unchecked. These actions directly undermine peace, economic stability, and the rule of law, and they are incompatible with the pillars of America’s foreign policy,” he said.

“We once again strongly urge the South African government to quickly address these egregious actions,” he added.

The latest move follows President Donald Trump’s February 2025 executive order addressing what the administration called “Egregious Actions of the Republic of South Africa.” The order accused Pretoria of pursuing discriminatory policies against Afrikaners and specifically objected to South Africa’s Expropriation Act, which the administration said could permit agricultural property to be taken without compensation.

The executive order also accused South Africa of adopting “policies designed to dismantle equal opportunity in employment, education, and business, and hateful rhetoric and government actions fueling disproportionate violence against racially disfavored landowners.”

Rubio said Tuesday that the administration “remains gravely concerned about racially motivated crime and government-sponsored discrimination occurring against the Afrikaners and other minority populations in South Africa.”

The restrictions do not amount to a blanket prohibition on South Africans traveling to the United States. Instead, they establish a mechanism allowing Washington to deny visas to individuals determined to fall within the categories outlined by the administration. Reports indicated that certain family members of affected individuals could also be covered.

The administration did not publicly identify specific individuals affected by the restrictions or provide a list of South African laws that would automatically result in a visa denial. The policy therefore establishes a framework under which restrictions can be imposed on particular people based on determinations by the U.S. government.

Ordinary South African citizens are consequently not automatically barred from obtaining American visas under the new policy. Applicants who are not deemed to have participated in the conduct targeted by Washington remain subject to the regular U.S. visa process and other existing immigration rules.

In a social media statement Tuesday, Rubio accused South Africa’s leaders of pursuing policies driven by hostility toward the country’s Afrikaner population, saying South Africans have been “failed by a government that is destroying its economy through an obsessive pursuit of racial grievance against the Afrikaner minority.”

“The South African government has consistently failed to adequately address rural crime, violent and dehumanizing rhetoric, and race-based discriminatory policies against Afrikaners and other minority populations,” he said.

South Africa strongly rejected Washington’s characterization of its policies. Foreign Minister Ronald Lamola said Wednesday that Rubio’s announcement “aligns with the mischaracterization of South Africa’s domestic policies by fringe groups who wrongly portray themselves as representatives of ‘minorities’ and Afrikaners in general.”

The South African government defended its efforts to address the legacy of apartheid and maintained that its laws are consistent with the country’s constitutional responsibilities. It asserted a “sovereign right to put in place laws that address the nation’s concern over centuries of racial injustice.”

Land ownership remains one of the central issues in the dispute. White South Africans, who make up a minority of the population, continue to own a disproportionately large share of privately held agricultural land, although estimates vary depending on how ownership is measured. Pretoria has argued that land reform is necessary to address historical racial disparities, while critics have warned against policies that could permit uncompensated confiscation.

President Cyril Ramaphosa signed the Expropriation Act in 2025. The legislation permits expropriation without compensation in specified circumstances when authorities determine that doing so is “just and equitable and in the public interest.” The Trump administration and other critics have argued that the law leaves property owners vulnerable to uncompensated seizures, while the South African government has disputed claims that it amounts to arbitrary confiscation.

The disagreement over land reform forms part of a broader deterioration in relations between Washington and Pretoria. Trump’s 2025 executive order also criticized South Africa over its case accusing Israel of genocide at the International Court of Justice and over Pretoria’s relations with Iran.

U.S. Ambassador to South Africa L. Brent Bozell indicated Wednesday that the visa policy may not be Washington’s final response.

“As has been made absolutely clear, the time for endless “dialogue” has run its course. No more. America has just so much patience,” Bozell said.

“We want strong, and lasting relations with the South African government. It needs to show it wants the same. So far it has shown it cares for neither,” he said.

Bozell then warned that additional U.S. measures could follow if the dispute remains unresolved.

“As a result, the consequences, as I’ve attempted time and again to express, are necessarily going to be severe. This visa restriction policy is only the first step in a series of escalatory measures that will show America’s firm resolve in this matter,” Bozell warned.

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New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani said Wednesday that he has no intention of participating in protests against Israeli Prime Minister Bibi Netanyahu when Netanyahu comes to New York for the United Nations General Assembly next week, while maintaining that New Yorkers have a constitutional right to demonstrate.

The announcement came as the city prepares for demonstrations surrounding Netanyahu’s visit and his scheduled September 24 address to the General Assembly. Mamdani said his administration has been coordinating with the NYPD over security surrounding the annual gathering of world leaders.

Mamdani, New York’s first Muslim mayor, had drawn criticism from some Jewish and pro-Israel groups over remarks he made earlier this summer concerning possible demonstrations against Netanyahu. Asked in July about protests surrounding the Israeli leader’s visit, Mamdani said: “If anyone feels a level of frustration or opposition, protest is something that we will always respect. I leave it to New Yorkers themselves to make that decision.”

On Wednesday, however, the mayor made clear that he personally would not be taking part in the demonstrations.

“I do not have any plans to attend any protest at the UN General Assembly.”

Mamdani also rejected the suggestion that he has been urging New Yorkers to take to the streets against Netanyahu.

“To New Yorkers, I have never encouraged them to protest. What I have always told them is that they have the right to do so in the city.”

Mamdani has been a persistent critic of Israel’s military campaign in Gaza. He has described Israel’s actions there as genocide, accused the country of committing war crimes in its operations against Hamas, and called for an end to U.S. financial and military assistance to Israel.

His positions on Israel have repeatedly generated controversy, including during his campaign for mayor. Mamdani faced criticism over his response to the phrase “globalize the intifada” and over comments he made on October 8, 2023, one day after the Hamas-led October 7 attack on southern Israel.

After becoming mayor, Mamdani rescinded several Israel-related executive orders that had been issued by his predecessor, Eric Adams. He later became the first New York City mayor not to participate in the city’s annual Israel Day Parade.

Before taking office, Mamdani was a regular participant in anti-Israel demonstrations, including a July 2023 rally in Manhattan where he led chants. Since becoming mayor, however, he has not personally joined an anti-Israel demonstration.

Another source of controversy has been Mamdani’s previous pledge to enforce the International Criminal Court’s arrest warrant for Netanyahu if the Israeli prime minister came to New York. The ICC issued the warrant over allegations of war crimes and crimes against humanity, allegations Netanyahu and Israel have rejected.

In July, Mamdani said his administration had examined possible legal avenues for detaining Netanyahu. He subsequently acknowledged that New York City does not have the legal authority to carry out the ICC warrant and instead called on federal authorities to act. The United States is not a party to the ICC, and legal experts have said a New York City mayor lacks authority to enforce the court’s warrant.

President Donald Trump responded at the time on Truth Social, declaring that Netanyahu “will not be arrested, in any way, shape or form, while in the United States of America.”

Mamdani has also recently sought to engage with New York’s Jewish communities. Ahead of Rosh Hashanah earlier this month, he visited Eichler’s Judaica store in Borough Park, Brooklyn, where he met local Jewish leaders, store employees and residents.

While much of the visit featured cordial exchanges, Mamdani was also confronted by a woman who sharply criticized him over antisemitism in the city.

“It’s all because of you we have so much antisemitism…You have such chutzpah for coming here.”

{Matzav.com}

The Trump administration has once again denied Palestinian Authority chairman Mahmoud Abbas and members of his delegation visas to enter the United States for the upcoming United Nations General Assembly in New York, marking the second consecutive year that Abbas has been barred from attending the gathering in person.

The State Department confirmed the decision Wednesday night, following an earlier report by the Saudi outlet Al-Hadath that Abbas and his delegation would not receive visas for the annual UN session.

In explaining the move, the State Department accused the Palestinian Authority and Palestine Liberation Organization of failing to abide by commitments under U.S. law. Washington cited their efforts against Israel in international bodies, attempts to secure unilateral recognition of a Palestinian state, and continued policies involving payments connected to terrorists and the glorification of violence.

“As a consequence of their failure to reform, contrary to their commitments to the United States, and their ongoing activities that undermine the prospects for peace, the United States will extend sanctions that deny visas to PLO members and PA officials,” the State Department said.

At the same time, the administration said it would continue an existing waiver permitting personnel from the Palestinian mission to the United Nations to operate in New York.

The action largely repeats what occurred ahead of last year’s General Assembly. In 2025, the United States similarly declined to grant Abbas a visa, preventing him from traveling to New York. The General Assembly subsequently voted to permit him to deliver his address remotely by video.

Abbas had sought in recent weeks to persuade Washington to reverse course. During a visit to Ankara last month, he appealed to Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan to raise the issue with President Donald Trump. Erdogan, who has referred to Trump as a “good friend,” later spoke by telephone with the President. The State Department’s confirmation Wednesday that the restrictions remain in effect means Abbas will nevertheless be unable to attend in person.

Abbas had been scheduled to address the UN General Assembly on the morning of September 24.

{Matzav.com}

United Torah Judaism chairman MK Yaakov Asher sharply criticized Israel’s High Court of Justice and Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara on Wednesday over the cancellation of a major government-sponsored conference commemorating Maran Rav Ovadia Yosef zt”l, accusing them of showing disregard for the legacy of one of the most influential Torah leaders in modern Israeli history.

Asher’s statement came after the High Court proceedings surrounding the event ended without a ruling on the underlying legal dispute. The three-day conference, which had been scheduled for October 6-8 at Binyanei Ha’Uma in Yerushalayim, had already been canceled after the Religious Services Ministry concluded that there was no longer enough time to organize it. The attorney general had objected to holding the government-funded gathering so close to the October 27 Knesset elections because of Rav Ovadia’s historic association with Shas.

“The decision of the High Court and the position of the attorney general prove once again just how disconnected they are from the public,” Asher said. “Approximately one million people walked behind the bier of Maran Rav Ovadia Yosef zt”l, and very many continue to follow the light of his rulings and his legacy, without any connection to one political affiliation or another.”

Asher added, “Unfortunately, the legacy of Maran Rav Ovadia is not among their priorities. Had the High Court justices accorded his personality and accomplishments the respect they deserve, it would have been possible to find a balanced and satisfactory arrangement rather than crudely canceling the event intended to perpetuate his memory.”

The statement was particularly notable because Asher, who recently became chairman of United Torah Judaism amid changes in Degel HaTorah’s Knesset representation, was publicly weighing in on the controversy surrounding the legacy of Rav Ovadia, the longtime Sephardic posek and spiritual leader most closely identified politically with Shas.

At Wednesday morning’s High Court hearing, the judges did not issue a substantive ruling on whether the attorney general’s original position was legally justified. Instead, after Religious Services Ministry Director-General Yehuda Avidan informed the court that the event could no longer practically be held on its scheduled dates, the dispute was deemed effectively theoretical. The court indicated that a similar dispute arising in the future could still be brought before it.

The distinction became a central point in the aftermath of the hearing. While Shas officials strongly condemned the outcome, the court did not rule on the merits that Baharav-Miara’s position regarding the conference was correct. Rather, the cancellation of the event meant that there was no longer a practical remedy for the court to grant concerning the October 6-8 gathering.

The controversy began after the attorney general opposed holding the large, government-funded conference in the weeks immediately preceding the Knesset election. Her position was that because Rav Ovadia founded Shas and his image and legacy remain closely associated with the party, such an event during the election period could raise concerns regarding prohibited election activity. She proposed that the conference instead be held after the election.

The state stressed that the position did not bar commemorations of Rav Ovadia generally. According to the state’s position presented in the proceedings, there was no objection to the annual memorial itself, official ceremonies, or privately funded commemorative events; the dispute concerned the timing of the large government-funded conference.

Shas rejected that distinction, arguing that the conference was intended to honor Rav Ovadia’s Torah legacy rather than promote the party he founded. The party also alleged selective treatment, pointing to other state memorial events held near elections and arguing that Rav Ovadia’s identification with Shas should not transform a gathering devoted to his Torah and legacy into a political event.

MK Erez Malul of Shas similarly accused the court of using the event’s cancellation to avoid addressing the underlying dispute.

“If you had removed the attorney general’s directive from the outset, a nonpolitical heritage conference for all of Am Yisrael would have taken place,” Malul said.

He questioned the distinction between the Rav Ovadia event and other state commemorations, asking, “With all due distinction, is a memorial for the Rabin assassination not political? Rabin was purely political.”

Malul charged that “the High Court and the attorney general are working together against Shas and the right,” adding that “it pains the heart to see the harm being done to millions of believers.” His allegations represented his characterization of the dispute; the state maintained that its objection was specifically tied to election-law concerns surrounding the timing and government funding of the conference.

Shas MK Moshe Abutbul also expressed deep disappointment, saying that he had anticipated the outcome.

“I was very, very disappointed, but it was expected. A few minutes earlier I was interviewed and said clearly: the answer will be negative, because we know the High Court,” Abutbul said.

The controversy also drew a forceful response from Rishon LeTzion Rav Yitzchak Yosef, Rav Ovadia’s son, who called for communities throughout Eretz Yisroel to organize their own gatherings in his father’s memory.

“We are approaching the day of the hillula of Maran, my father, zecher tzaddik v’kadosh livracha, in less than a month,” Rav Yitzchak Yosef said. “Unfortunately, the power of the left has grown stronger. The attorney general has made a final decision not to hold a hillula for Maran.”

Rav Yitzchak Yosef urged shuls and communities across the country to respond by dramatically expanding local commemorations.

“I call from here to hold hillulas — at least a thousand hillulas! In every corner of the country, in every shul, everywhere. Therefore, there is no need to take them into consideration; we will hold hillulas in shuls, in halls, in every city and every moshav.”

The dispute centers on legislation enacted in 2025 establishing an official framework for commemorating Rav Ovadia Yosef. The law requires the Religious Services Ministry to conduct an educational conference dealing with subjects connected to his teachings and vision on the anniversary of his petirah or at a date close to it. This year, Rav Ovadia’s yahrtzeit falls on October 14, less than two weeks before the October 27 Knesset election.

The government conference had initially been moved to October 6-8, but the attorney general concluded that even those earlier dates remained too close to Election Day. The Religious Services Ministry formally canceled the event after its producer advised that, given the continuing legal proceedings and the remaining preparation time, it was no longer technically possible to stage the gathering as planned.

The legal proceedings may have ended without a ruling on the broader question, but the controversy over the cancellation — and over how Rav Ovadia’s Torah legacy should be treated when it intersects with an election campaign — continued to draw fierce reactions across the chareidi political spectrum Wednesday.

{Matzav.com}

The Federal Reserve raised interest rates Wednesday for the first time in more than three years, reversing the direction of monetary policy as officials moved to confront inflation that has remained stubbornly above the central bank’s target.

The Fed increased its benchmark federal funds rate by one-quarter of a percentage point, bringing its target range to 3.75% to 4%. The decision was unanimous. More significantly, new projections released Wednesday showed that Fed officials see rates ending 2026 at a median 4.1%, suggesting another quarter-point increase could come before the end of the year.

For ordinary Americans, the simplest explanation is this: borrowing money is becoming more expensive again.

That does not mean every mortgage, car loan or credit card rate will immediately rise by exactly one-quarter of a percentage point. But the Fed’s move pushes upward on borrowing costs throughout the financial system, particularly loans carrying variable interest rates. Major U.S. banks began raising their prime lending rates following Wednesday’s decision.

For households already struggling with elevated prices, the timing is particularly significant. The Fed is effectively accepting some additional financial pressure on borrowers in an effort to prevent inflation from becoming more deeply entrenched.

Why Did the Fed Raise Rates?

The central bank’s explanation was straightforward: inflation is still too high.

“Inflation remains elevated,” the Federal Open Market Committee said in its statement Wednesday. “Today’s policy action will support a timelier return to the Committee’s 2 percent goal. The Committee will deliver price stability.”

The Fed’s latest projections underscore the problem. Officials now expect their preferred measure of inflation, the Personal Consumption Expenditures price index, to rise 3.7% in 2026, while core PCE inflation, which excludes volatile food and energy prices, is projected at 3.4%. Both remain well above the Fed’s 2% objective.

At the same time, the economy has remained strong enough to give the Fed room to act. The central bank said economic activity continues to expand “at a solid pace,” domestic spending remains resilient, capital investment is robust, and unemployment has changed little.

That combination — persistent inflation alongside a relatively solid economy — is crucial. If unemployment were soaring or the economy were contracting sharply, the Fed would have much more reason to worry that higher rates could deepen a downturn. Instead, policymakers concluded that inflation currently represents the greater concern.

What Does It Mean for Mortgages?

This is one of the most misunderstood parts of a Fed rate move.

The Fed does not directly set mortgage rates.

Thirty-year fixed mortgage rates are influenced much more heavily by longer-term Treasury yields and investors’ expectations about future inflation, economic growth and Fed policy. As a result, mortgage rates do not necessarily increase by a quarter point simply because the Fed raised its overnight rate by a quarter point.

But Wednesday’s decision matters nonetheless. If financial markets conclude that inflation will remain elevated and the Fed will have to keep rates higher for longer, longer-term borrowing costs can remain elevated as well.

That means prospective homebuyers should not assume Wednesday’s decision automatically adds exactly 0.25 percentage point to a 30-year mortgage — but it does make the prospect of substantially cheaper mortgages in the near term less certain.

Homeowners with existing fixed-rate mortgages are largely insulated. If someone already has a 30-year fixed mortgage at a set rate, Wednesday’s Fed decision does not change that rate or monthly principal-and-interest payment.

Borrowers with adjustable-rate mortgages, however, may eventually face higher payments depending on the particular benchmark and adjustment schedule attached to their loan.

What About Credit Cards?

This is where consumers are more likely to feel the effects directly.

Most credit cards have variable interest rates tied, directly or indirectly, to the prime rate. When the Fed raises rates and banks raise their prime rates, credit-card APRs typically follow.

Someone who pays the full balance every month may notice little difference.

Someone carrying thousands of dollars in revolving credit-card debt could end up paying more interest, particularly if additional Fed increases follow Wednesday’s move.

The same basic principle can affect home-equity lines of credit and other variable-rate debt.

Will Car Loans Get More Expensive?

Potentially, yes.

Auto-loan rates are not mechanically dictated by the federal funds rate, but lenders’ financing costs and broader market rates influence what consumers are offered.

The effect of a quarter-point Fed increase on any single monthly car payment may be relatively modest, particularly compared with the vehicle’s price, down payment, credit score and loan term. But if Wednesday marks the beginning of several increases rather than a one-time adjustment, financing conditions could become noticeably tighter.

That is why the Fed’s outlook may ultimately matter more than Wednesday’s quarter-point move itself.

There Is Some Good News: Savers Could Benefit

Higher interest rates are not universally bad.

People keeping money in high-yield savings accounts, money-market accounts and certificates of deposit may benefit if banks pass higher rates along to depositors.

Treasury securities and other short-term fixed-income investments can also offer higher yields when market rates rise.

Banks do not necessarily increase savings rates immediately or by the full amount of a Fed increase, however. Consumers generally have to compare rates because institutions compete differently for deposits.

In other words, Wednesday’s decision creates a familiar divide: borrowers generally dislike higher rates; savers can benefit from them.

Why Raise Rates When Everything Already Costs So Much?

It sounds counterintuitive.

If groceries, housing and other necessities are already expensive, why would policymakers deliberately make borrowing more expensive too?

Because the Fed is trying to slow the rate at which prices continue rising.

Higher interest rates discourage borrowing and encourage saving. A family may postpone buying a car. A business may reconsider an expansion financed with borrowed money. A prospective homeowner may decide that a particular house is unaffordable.

Multiply those decisions across millions of households and businesses, and overall demand cools.

Businesses then have less ability or incentive to continually raise prices, hiring can moderate, wage pressures can ease, and inflation can gradually decline.

The Fed is not attempting to make today’s prices go back to where they were several years ago. Its 2% inflation objective is aimed at getting prices to rise much more slowly going forward.

Could Higher Rates Hurt the Economy?

Yes — and that is the central risk.

Interest-rate policy works partly by deliberately restraining economic activity. Push rates too little, and inflation can persist. Push them too far, and businesses can cut investment and hiring, consumers can reduce spending, housing can weaken, unemployment can rise and the economy can potentially enter a recession.

The Fed currently believes the economy has enough underlying strength to withstand tighter policy. Its September projections put 2026 GDP growth at 2.3% and unemployment at 4.1%. Notably, officials actually lowered their unemployment projection from the 4.3% they forecast in June.

That helps explain why officials were willing to raise rates now: they see an economy that remains relatively resilient while inflation continues running too hot.

Is This Just One Rate Hike?

This may be the most consequential part of Wednesday’s announcement.

The Fed’s new projections suggest policymakers do not currently view this as necessarily a one-and-done move.

The median projection for the federal funds rate at the end of 2026 is now 4.1%, compared with 3.8% in the Fed’s June projections. The median remains 4.1% for the end of 2027 before declining to 3.9% in 2028 and 3.6% in 2029.

Those projections are not promises. Inflation could cool unexpectedly, the economy could weaken, unemployment could rise, or another shock could force officials to change course.

But Wednesday’s message was nevertheless significant: the Fed is currently contemplating tighter monetary policy, not a quick return to rate cuts.

The Bottom Line

For most Americans, Wednesday’s increase by itself will probably not dramatically change their finances overnight.

The bigger issue is what it signals.

After years in which consumers and financial markets increasingly looked toward lower borrowing costs, the Federal Reserve has changed direction. Inflation remains sufficiently persistent that officials are willing to make money more expensive again — and they are signaling that another increase may be necessary.

For someone with a fixed-rate mortgage and no major borrowing plans, the immediate effect could be minimal. For someone carrying credit-card debt, using a home-equity line, buying a car, purchasing a home or taking out a business loan, higher rates can matter considerably. For someone with substantial cash savings, the development could actually produce better returns.

And that is what Wednesday’s decision really means: the Fed believes inflation remains a serious enough problem that it is prepared to keep pressure on the economy — and on borrowers — until price increases move convincingly closer to its 2% goal.

{Matzav.com}

The American Airlines passenger whose alleged midair outburst became so uncontrollable that fellow travelers restrained him with duct tape and zip ties told a Maryland court that he had no memory of the episode — and appeared stunned as the allegations against him were read aloud.

Layne Lundeen, 67, made the claim during court proceedings in Annapolis, Maryland, following his arrest in connection with the incident, which forced the Newark-bound flight to divert to Baltimore.

“I don’t remember any of what happened,” Lundeen said, according to The Banner, which obtained audio of the proceeding.

As he attempted to understand the allegations against him, Lundeen appeared surprised to learn that he was accused of assaulting a law enforcement officer.

“I assaulted a police officer? Is that what it says?” he reportedly said. “I don’t have my glasses.”

District Court Commissioner George Haag then went through the accusations facing Lundeen, prompting another expression of disbelief from the Arizona man.

“Oh my God. What a mess. I don’t remember any of it.”

The charges followed a chaotic incident aboard an American Airlines flight during which Lundeen allegedly launched into a racist tirade and became so disruptive that other passengers intervened. He was ultimately restrained with duct tape and zip ties as the flight crew diverted the aircraft to Baltimore for an emergency landing.

During the court proceeding, Haag asked Lundeen why he had come to Maryland.

“What brings you to Maryland?” Haag asked.

Lundeen responded that Maryland had never been part of his travel plans.

“I came to New York City. I don’t know how I got to Maryland. I was supposed to land in New Jersey.”

Lundeen, a realtor from Arizona, had reportedly been traveling east to assist one of his daughters as she moved into a new apartment. The trip also coincided with her birthday.

The fallout from the incident extended beyond his arrest. Long Realty Company, the Tucson-based real estate firm where Lundeen worked, terminated his employment after footage and accounts of the episode circulated widely.

Referring to the unfortunate circumstances surrounding what was supposed to have been a family trip, Lundeen told the commissioner, “I got a double whammy for my trip. Well, now it’s a triple whammy.”

Near the end of the hearing, Lundeen appeared focused on figuring out how to resume his interrupted journey, asking Haag how far he was from New York City.

“That depends on mode of transportation and traffic,” the commissioner responded, “but at least a few hours.”

Authorities charged Lundeen with second-degree assault and disorderly conduct in connection with the incident.

Police said witnesses aboard the aircraft described Lundeen as having “became increasingly unruly” as the flight progressed.

Jonathan Cahn, a controversial author and Messianic rabbi who was seated beside Lundeen, previously provided his account of what he said triggered the dramatic change in his seatmate’s behavior.

According to Cahn, the two men initially had a friendly conversation, but the atmosphere abruptly changed after their discussion turned to spirituality. Lundeen reportedly told the court that his conversation with the passenger seated beside him was essentially the last thing he remembered before the incident.

“I have never seen someone change in a split second from light to dark as I saw then, as if something had taken him over,” Cahn previously said. “He went from the friendliest guy in the world to this dark person.”

Cahn said that during the conversation, he spoke about “the reality of the real power of god on Earth and in our lives.”

The disturbance escalated from there, according to witnesses, eventually requiring passengers to physically restrain Lundeen. Images and video showing him secured to his seat with duct tape and zip ties subsequently spread online.

Following the flight’s diversion, Lundeen was taken into custody shortly after the aircraft landed in Baltimore.

Despite the extraordinary circumstances surrounding the case, Lundeen was released on his own recognizance after his court appearance. As a condition of his release, he was instructed to refrain from consuming alcohol or drugs, with the exception of prescribed medications, according to The Banner.

Lundeen is scheduled to return to court on Oct. 19 in the District Court of Maryland for Anne Arundel County in Glen Burnie.

A Chabad shliach in Milan was assaulted Wednesday evening while waiting at a bus stop near the city’s Jewish neighborhood, in an attack that reportedly included verbal abuse, kicks and punches, the removal of his hat, and spitting. Three suspects were located by Italian police shortly afterward and taken into custody for questioning.

The victim was identified by Chabad sources as Rabbi Tzemach Mizrachi, 51, an Israeli citizen who has served as a shliach in Milan for approximately three decades and is a rov at the city’s Central Chabad House. Rabbi Mizrachi had reportedly been on his way to pick up his children from school when the incident occurred.

The attack took place Wednesday afternoon in Piazzale Bande Nere, in western Milan, near the city’s Jewish neighborhood. Italian media reported that Rabbi Mizrachi was waiting for a bus when three individuals approached and surrounded him.

Rabbi Mizrachi described the confrontation as beginning with harassment before escalating into violence.

“The three began provoking me and grabbed my hat. When I asked them to give it back, one of the attackers kicked me hard, knocking me into the street. Thankfully, I did not require medical treatment,” he said.

Italian reports provided additional details about the assault. Corriere della Sera reported that the incident began with insults — possibly in Arabic — followed by shoving that caused the rov to fall to the ground. Other Italian reports said he was struck with kicks and punches.

Walker Meghnagi, president of Milan’s Jewish community, described the assault in particularly disturbing terms.

“An act of such violence has never happened before. They kicked and punched him, knocked off his hat, trampled on it, and spat on him. From what I have been told, the three individuals are of Arab origin,” Meghnagi told the Italian news agency ANSA.

Despite the assault, Rabbi Mizrachi was able to follow the suspects after getting back to his feet and managed to photograph and film them with his cellphone, according to Corriere della Sera. He then contacted police.

Police patrols responding to the scene located three individuals a short distance away and brought them to police headquarters for identification and questioning. Some Italian reports said the suspects were subsequently detained at a nearby Metro station.

There were differing descriptions Wednesday night of the suspects’ precise legal status. Israel National News reported that all three had been arrested and were being held overnight, while initial Italian reports described them as having been located, identified, detained or brought to police headquarters as investigators determined their status.

Rabbi Mizrachi spent several hours with police providing his account of the attack and formally filing a complaint.

“I spent several hours at the police station providing statements for the investigation,” he said. “The police took this very seriously, arrested the attackers immediately, and are holding them overnight.”

Despite the violence, Rabbi Mizrachi did not require hospitalization or medical treatment, according to both his own account and Italian reports.

Authorities were investigating the circumstances and motive behind the attack. Italian reporting noted that Rabbi Mizrachi was visibly identifiable as a Jew by his clothing, while the head of Milan’s Jewish community characterized the assault as antisemitic. Police had not yet publicly announced a final determination regarding motive as of Wednesday night.

Meghnagi said the incident had deeply shaken the local Jewish community.

“Mi vergogno del mio Paese se posso dirlo. Mi vergogno per quello che sta succedendo,” he told ANSA — “I am ashamed of my country, if I may say so. I am ashamed of what is happening.”

Rabbi Mizrachi also spoke of an increasingly uncomfortable atmosphere for visibly Jewish residents of Milan.

“Lately, you can feel their presence in the streets more and more,” he said.

At the same time, he expressed gratitude for the rapid police response and voiced hope that the immediate detention of the suspects would send a message that attacks against Jews in the city would have consequences.

The incident drew condemnation in Italy as news of the attack spread Wednesday evening. Italian Senate President Ignazio La Russa called the assault “very serious” and “disturbing,” expressed solidarity with the rov and Milan’s Jewish community, and said investigators must establish the facts and determine responsibility.

The assault occurred in broad daylight at an ordinary public transit stop, a detail that heightened alarm within Milan’s Jewish community. Meghnagi noted that Rabbi Mizrachi had simply been waiting for a bus when he was apparently recognized as Jewish from his appearance and targeted.

The investigation remained underway Wednesday night as police worked to establish the precise sequence of events, the identities of the suspects, and whether the assault would formally be treated as an antisemitic hate crime.

{Matzav.com}

The IDF on Wednesday released dramatic new footage from inside Hezbollah’s underground tunnel network beneath the Ali al-Taher Ridge in southern Lebanon, revealing extensive infrastructure that Israeli forces said had been built over a period of years for use by the terror organization.

The newly released footage showed underground passages discovered by IDF forces during operations in the area. The routes were investigated and mapped before troops moved to destroy them.

According to the IDF, forces operating along the ridge uncovered a range of Hezbollah infrastructure, including a tunnel that the military described as a strategic asset belonging to the terror organization.

The commander of the Commando Brigade, Col. M., said Israeli forces have been carrying out operations in the region for approximately six months.

“Over the past six months, the unit’s forces, under Division 36 and together with the division’s brigades, have been locating, investigating, mapping, and destroying Hezbollah enemy infrastructure in the Beaufort Ridge and Ali al-Taher Ridge areas, with determination and ingenuity,” he said.

Speaking while standing inside one of the underground passages discovered by Israeli forces, the commander described the tunnel and the preparations underway to demolish it.

“We are currently inside a tunnel in the Ali al-Taher Ridge that served as strategic Hezbollah infrastructure. The unit’s forces, together with the Commando Brigade, located and investigated it and are now preparing to destroy it.”

He said the IDF’s specialized combat engineering forces would continue operating against threats both underground and on the surface.

“The Yahalom Unit will continue to operate above and below ground, wherever necessary, in order to remove threats to the residents of the State of Israel.”

Col. A., commander of the Yahalom Unit, also provided details about the Commando Brigade’s recent operations against Hezbollah positions along the ridge.

“In recent weeks, troops from the Commando Brigade’s Egoz and Maglan units, together with the Yahalom Unit, have operated here in the Ali al-Taher Ridge area,” he said.

According to Col. A., Israeli troops first established control over the terrain above the tunnel network, effectively cutting off Hezbollah terrorists who were positioned underground.

“The troops seized the territory and established operational control over the area above ground, while surrounding and trapping the terrorists inside the underground routes.”

The fighting included direct confrontations between IDF soldiers and Hezbollah terrorists who attempted to emerge from the tunnels, the commander said.

“In some cases, when terrorists attempted to escape from the underground routes, they encountered our troops and were eliminated in face-to-face combat,” he said.

Once Israeli forces entered the tunnel system itself, they encountered extensive underground infrastructure that, according to the IDF commander, had taken Hezbollah years to construct.

“When we entered these underground routes, we found infrastructure that had been built over many years by the Iranian terrorist arm for Hezbollah, with the aim of harming Israeli civilians and IDF troops,” he said.

Col. A. said Israeli forces would remain in the area until the weapons and underground facilities uncovered during the operation had been eliminated.

“We will leave here only after we have destroyed all of the weapons and infrastructure that we found,” he continued.

The commander concluded with a warning that the IDF would pursue threats against Israel even when enemy forces attempt to conceal themselves deep underground.

“All of Israel’s enemies should know that the long arm of the IDF will reach every last one of them, even when they hide inside caves and tunnels, as we found here, so that we can complete our mission of protecting the citizens of the State of Israel.”

{Matzav.com}

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Three kedoshei elyon had one common concept when it came to learning Torah – they were the Ohr Hachaim Hakadosh (Rabbi Chaim ibn Attar 1696-1743) when he came to Eretz Yisroel; the Ramchal (Rabbi Moshe Chaim Luzzatto 1707-1746) when he lived in Padua, Italy;  and Hagaon, Harav Chaim Volozhiner, (1749-1821) the famous talmid of the Gaon of Vilna.

They each had a yeshiva with ‘around-the-clock’ Torah learning, 24-hours a day, so that there would be no minute when the sound of Torah learning would not be heard in this world. The 24-hour period would be divided into shifts, and as one ended the next would begin.

Torah-24

A “Torah-24” Center has been opened in Yerushalayim and the Nasi is Maran Sar Hatorah, Harav Chaim Kanievsky, zt”l.

• The first “Torah-24” center is in Yerushalayim

• 11 Kollelim with 163 avreichim will be learning at “Torah-24” every day

• Nigleh, Nistar, Chumash and Halacha – All under ONE ROOF

• Talmud Bavli / Yerushalmi – Kabbalah & Zohar – Rambam, Shulchan Aruch & Poskim, Zeraim – Taharos 

• The following SIX kollelim – Kollel Hashkomas Haboker, Kollel Yerushalmi, Kollel Bavli, Kollel Choshen Mishpat/Even Haezer, Kollel Erev Shabbos, Kollel Kabbalah B’Chatzos (Tikun Chatzot, Etz Chaim, Zohar, Tehillim) – are fully operational

• 24 hour תורה learning cycle – 6:00 am to 6:00 am – is divided into different shifts

• Each kollel shift has its own program, Rosh Kollel and avreichim

• Detailed monthly and annual tests – written and oral – for all avreichim 

• Already there are 77 avreichim metzuyonim, and a large number of candidates are vying for the remaining slots in the kollelim. All the avreichim are required to take rigorous monthly tests.

In the words of Gedolei Torah:

“Torah-24 תורה” – where the voice of Torah is not absent from within the walls of the kollelim, not even for a minute…

“The idea … of day and night shifts of non-stop kollelim… the full range of subjects of the Torah… the derech of the Ramchal, the Ohr Hachaim Hakodosh and Hagaon Reb Chaim of Volozhin.”

– Nasi Maran Sar Hatorah, Hagaon Harav Chaim Kanievsky, zt”l

“All who donate to and support “Torah-24 תורה” will merit all the brochos of the Torah, including those for refuos, yeshuos, parnossa tova and nachas from all their descendants, Amen”

– Maran Rosh Yeshivas Ponevez, Hagaon Harav Gershon Edelstein, zt”l

At “Torah-24 תורה”, exceptional avreichim do not pause for a moment while studying all the areas of the holy Torah, with a shift of remarkable scholars studying the holy Zohar and the recitation of Tikun Chatzos at midnight. 

All who donate and support this holy endeavor of “Torah-24 תורה” should see brocha and success … children and grandchildren immersed in Torah and mitzvos… fulfillment of all the hopes of their hearts for good and with brocha. 

– Maran Hagaon Harav Moishe Sternbuch, shlit”a 

I join the esteemed Rabbanim and Gaonim, shlit”a, in endorsing the illustrious “Kollel Kabbalah b’Chatzos” designated for outstanding talmidei chachomim, masters of Torah and yiras Shomayim, who spend their nights in Beis Hashem, engaging deeply in the concealed dimensions of Torah during this auspicious time of Divine Favor…

I hereby call upon my generous brethren to support this endeavor with significant sums, for through this they will attain the great merit of the hidden Torah studied at night. May you all be blessed by Hashem with many blessings in accordance with the greatness of the endeavor that you are supporting!

– Maran Hagaon Hamekubal, Harav Yaakov Meir Shechter, shlit”a

“Support ‘Torah-24 תורה’ where the sound of Torah – nigleh and nistar – all hours of the day and night; and be blessed from shamayim that the Torah should never cease from your mouth; children bnei Torah; abundant parnassa and good health”

– Maran Hagaon Harav Shimon Badani, zt”l
Rosh Kollel Torah V’Chaim, Member Moetzet Chachmei Hatorah

“Torah-24 תורה” – groups of talmidei chachomim geonim in different shifts, delve in the subjects of Torah learning without interruption – Bavli, Yerushalmi, Dalet Chelkei Shulchan Aruch, Rambam, Kabbala, Midrash, Tana”ch and more.  “Torah-24 תורה” is in actuality a wonderful continuation of the heichalei hakodesh and battei midrash of our holy Rabbonim – the Ramchal, the Ohr Hachaim Hakadosh and the Nefesh Hachaim, zy”o. Who would not want to be part of this historical and amazing project “Torah-24 תורה”, and the greatness of its holy impact in both the supernal and lower realms?  “My brocha to all who support “Torah-24 תורה” – You should merit great abundance in both the spiritual and the material – supernal light, peace of mind, tranquility of the soul and bodily health. Only goodness and kindness should pursue you all the days of your lives, and you should dwell securely for your length of days.

– Maran Hamashpia Hagadol, ‘Reb Meilech’ Biderman, shlit”a

“Your kesher with ‘Torah-24 תורה’ will be a true ובהם נהגה יומם ולילה – and we will delve in them by day and by night”

– Maran Hagaon Harav Shraga Steinman, shlit”a – Orchos Torah

 

“Talmidei Chachomim of ‘Torah-24 תורה’ delve into all sectors of Torah – Bavli and Yerushalmi, Dalet Chelkei Shulchan Aruch, Rambam, Kabbalah – Nistar”

– Maran Hagaon Harav Shimon Gallai, shlit”a – Bnei Brak

 

Kollel Kabbalah b’Chatzos” is a precious link in the golden chain of the glorious Torah empire “Torah-24”… bringing tremendous delight to the Ribbono shel Olam. Fortunate are all those who take part in this great and holy endeavor.

– Maran HaMekubal Rav Abish Zehnwirth, shlit”a

 

For more “Torah-24” information click on: www.torah-24.com or call 718-766-5022

United Torah Judaism’s three constituent factions have agreed to conduct their main election campaign under a single, unified framework, a change from the previous election in which the factions ran separate campaigns.

UTJ chairman MK Yaakov Asher reached the agreement in recent days with representatives of Degel HaTorah, Agudas Yisrael and Chomas Toras Yisrael, the three factions comprising the joint UTJ list for the upcoming election.

Under the agreement, the party’s primary election campaign will be coordinated through one central campaign headquarters, with representatives of all three factions participating in the operation. The arrangement is intended to present a unified message and emphasize cooperation among the different components of the chareidi party.

The move marks a departure from the previous election campaign, when the various factions conducted separate campaigns rather than operating through a single central apparatus.

Despite the unified national campaign, each faction will retain some room to address its own constituencies. Smaller, targeted campaigns are expected to operate alongside the central effort, with messaging tailored specifically to individual chassidic courts and other communities.

The agreement comes shortly after UTJ submitted its candidate list for the 26th Knesset, following significant changes within the party. The joint list is headed by Asher, with Agudas Yisrael chairman Yitzchok Goldknopf in the second slot and Degel HaTorah’s Yitzchok Pindrus in third.

The current UTJ framework includes three separate political factions: Degel HaTorah, Agudas Yisrael and the newly established Chomas Toras Yisrael, which represents Shlomei Emunim and Belz. Despite their separate organizational structures, all three are contesting the election together on the United Torah Judaism slate.

The newly agreed-upon campaign structure will now bring those three groups together under one central election operation, while allowing more narrowly focused outreach to continue within their respective communities.

{Matzav.com}

President Donald Trump said Wednesday that Iran is eager to reach an agreement with the United States, offering an increasingly optimistic assessment of the possibility of ending the months-long conflict and revealing that Washington has been in direct communication with Tehran.

“Hopefully we’re toward the end of the war. Iran is very much wanting to make a deal,” Trump told reporters Wednesday.

Pressed on whether Iranian officials had recently communicated with his administration — and whether those contacts had taken place directly or through intermediaries — Trump said the communication was direct.

“No, directly,” he said.

.@POTUS: "Iran is very much wanting to make a deal. We'll see how that works out." pic.twitter.com/z1SiXiiVlH

— Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) September 16, 2026

The remarks represented the latest indication from Trump that he believes a negotiated end to the conflict may be possible, though no agreement has been announced and significant differences between Washington and Tehran remain. Recent Iranian statements have also attached conditions to any renewed negotiations.

Trump’s comments came days after he suggested that the war could continue until around the November midterm elections, while arguing that Iran was increasingly unable to sustain the conflict.

“They’re desperate to try and affect the election so that we could get a nice, weak group of people in there and leave them alone and let them have their nuclear weapon.”

Trump has repeatedly claimed that Tehran is attempting to prolong the conflict in hopes that political developments in the United States will ultimately produce more favorable conditions for Iran. Iranian officials have disputed the administration’s broader characterization of Tehran’s position and have publicly insisted that conditions would have to be met before negotiations could proceed.

Wednesday’s comments followed a statement from Trump on Monday in which he publicly opened the door to renewed negotiations while maintaining that the ultimate decision on whether Washington enters talks would be his.

“The failing Nation of Iran wants to make a deal, quickly and badly,” Trump wrote on Truth Social. “I will determine whether or not the U.S.A. will choose to engage – the concept of which we are open to.”

The statement marked a notable shift in tone after Trump had expressed deep skepticism earlier in September about whether any agreement with Tehran could be trusted. On Sept. 1, he said an agreement with Iran might not be worth the paper on which it was written, while later saying he would consider an agreement if it were the “right deal.”

Iran, meanwhile, has sent mixed signals about the possibility of diplomacy. Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian indicated that Tehran was prepared to discuss its nuclear program if Washington lifted sanctions and stopped negotiating through military pressure, while other Iranian officials have said negotiations would not resume until Tehran’s conditions were satisfied.

The diplomatic maneuvering comes as the conflict continues to affect the broader region, particularly around the Strait of Hormuz. China on Wednesday urged both Washington and Tehran to exercise restraint and resume substantive negotiations, with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi calling for steps to restore safe navigation through the strategically critical waterway.

Despite Trump’s increasingly hopeful language, neither Washington nor Tehran has announced formal negotiations or disclosed the substance of the direct communications referenced by the President.

Trump’s assertion Wednesday that the United States may be “toward the end of the war,” however, was his clearest recent suggestion that he sees the direct contacts with Tehran as potentially opening a path toward ending the conflict.

{Matzav.com}

The New York Times came under intense criticism Wednesday over a passage in a report about Israel that stated that Israelis “still largely view themselves as the victims of Oct. 7,” language that critics said appeared to cast their status as victims of the Hamas massacre as a matter of perception rather than fact.

Following the backlash, the Times removed the sentence and appended an editor’s note acknowledging that the wording had “inadvertently suggested that Israelis’ experience as terror victims was a matter of perception.”

The controversy stemmed from a Sept. 14 article by longtime Times Jerusalem correspondent Isabel Kershner about “NAZA,” an Israeli documentary focused on Palestinian civilian deaths during the Gaza war. The film, directed by Yuval Abraham and Rachel Szor, recently received the Special Jury Prize at the Venice Film Festival and has generated a fierce debate in Israel over its allegations concerning IDF operations in Gaza.

In discussing the reaction to the documentary, the original Times article noted that Israelis remain deeply divided over responsibility for the political, military and intelligence failures preceding the Hamas-led assault of Oct. 7, 2023.

The report then included the sentence that ignited the controversy:

“But Israelis still largely view themselves as the victims of Oct. 7.”

The article itself went on to acknowledge that approximately 1,200 people were killed in the Hamas-led attack and some 250 people were abducted into Gaza, describing Oct. 7 as “the deadliest day in Israel’s history.”

Critics quickly seized on the juxtaposition, arguing that the sentence appeared to frame Israelis’ victimhood in the Oct. 7 attack as a subjective Israeli belief.

Journalist Eitan Fischberger, who previously served in the IDF, sharply criticized the wording.

“What’s so grotesque about this sentence is that it portrays an objective fact as some sort of Israeli victimhood mentality. Imagine the Times writing that Americans ‘still largely view themselves as the victims of 9/11,’ or that Americans ‘still largely view themselves as the victims of Pearl Harbor,’” Fischberger told Fox News Digital.

“Whatever one thinks about the war that followed, Israelis were absolutely the victims of horrific atrocities on October 7,” he continued. “Just like Americans were the victims of 9/11 and the attack on Pearl Harbor.”

CNN commentator Scott Jennings also condemned the passage, posting a screenshot of the Times article on social media and writing, “No words for this abomination.”

Other critics similarly drew comparisons to the Sept. 11 attacks, with one sarcastically writing, “Yes, and equally curiously, Americans overwhelmingly still see themselves as the victim of 9/11. The nerve!” Another asked, “If Israel wasn’t the Oct 7 victim, who does the NYTimes propose is?”

Hours after the criticism spread online, the Times removed the disputed sentence and published an editor’s note explaining what it said had gone wrong.

“Because of an editing error, an earlier version of this article included a statement that was intended to convey Israelis’ perception of the government’s military response to the Oct. 7 terror attack in relation to the attacks, but inadvertently suggested that Israelis’ experience as terror victims was a matter of perception. It has been removed from the article.”

The Times’ explanation indicated that the intended point concerned how Israelis perceive the country’s subsequent military response to Oct. 7, rather than whether Israelis were themselves victims of the Hamas-led attack.

The original article centered on the growing controversy surrounding “NAZA,” an 80-minute documentary that examines Israeli military operations in Gaza and includes interviews with 24 purported Israeli intelligence personnel and soldiers who spoke anonymously. Israeli officials and military figures have strongly disputed the film’s allegations and condemned its portrayal of the IDF.

The Guardian, which co-produced the documentary, defended the filmmakers amid the Israeli backlash, saying it was “disturbed to see the authoritarian response to ‘NAZA’ in Israel” and pledging to “robustly defend” the filmmakers and others involved against “any attacks or attempts at censorship.”

The Times controversy comes just days after the publication of a peer-reviewed academic study examining the newspaper’s coverage during the early months of the Gaza war. The study, authored by Yale School of Management professor Edieal Pinker and published in Studies in Conflict & Terrorism, analyzed 1,559 Times articles published between Oct. 7, 2023, and June 7, 2024.

Pinker argued that the newspaper’s coverage frequently emphasized Palestinian suffering while giving comparatively less attention to Israeli military casualties, Hamas casualties and Palestinian violence following Oct. 7. The study concluded that the coverage tended to assign disproportionate agency and responsibility to Israel while minimizing Hamas’ continuing role in the conflict.

The New York Times rejected that characterization when responding to the study, saying it “has covered this war with more rigor than virtually any other US news organization, reporting on the conflict from all angles.”

“Our editors make careful and deliberate choices about every story we publish to ensure our language, framing, prominence and tone remain true to our mission of independent journalism,” a Times spokesperson said. “We remain open to good-faith disagreement but will not change our coverage to buttress entrenched perspectives. Our commitment is to independent reporting that our readers can trust.”

The newspaper has faced criticism from both pro-Israel and pro-Palestinian activists over its coverage of the war, with the two sides accusing it of bias in opposite directions.

In the latest controversy, however, the Times itself acknowledged that the original wording conveyed something it had not intended to say. By Wednesday afternoon, the disputed sentence was gone, replaced by the editor’s note conceding that the language had mistakenly made Israelis’ status as victims of the Oct. 7 terror attack appear to be a question of perception.

{Matzav.com}

[COMMUNICATED]

A child doesn’t understand exchange rates. He doesn’t know that the dollar has weakened against the shekel, cutting the value of the money his family depends on. He doesn’t understand government budgets, disappearing subsidies, or the inflation that has sent the cost of groceries and clothing soaring.

He only knows that Sukkos is coming.

He sees the excitement building around him. He hears other children discussing new clothing and Yom Tov treats. He watches his parents calculating what they can afford—and what will have to wait.

His father is an avreich who has chosen a life devoted to Torah. His mother stands beside him, carrying the financial sacrifices that make that learning possible. But before Yom Tov, even the most carefully managed budget can begin to collapse.

This year, the pressure is greater than ever.

Across Eretz Yisroel, many kollel families are facing a painful gap between their income and the basic cost of making Yom Tov. Regular stipends have not kept pace with the changing financial reality, and Roshei Kollel who usually distribute special Yom Tov bonuses are struggling to raise the necessary funds.

Adopt-a-Kollel’s Mind the Gap campaign was created to ensure that these children—and their parents—are not left behind.

Adopt-a-Kollel has transformed Torah support by pairing kehillos throughout the world with specific kollelim in Eretz Yisroel. It has turned support for Torah from a distant concept into a personal relationship. Kehillos know the yungerleit they assist, share in their accomplishments, and provide dependable monthly funding that allows them to continue learning.

Now those yungerleit need an additional hand.

These families give up so much so that Klal Yisroel can possess the priceless gift of Limud Torah. Before Sukkos, we can show them that they don’t carry that responsibility alone.

Help a kollel family make Yom Tov: https://contentapmedia.com/adoptakollelmatzavarticle
To donate by phone, call: 732-314-7866

There has been a serious deterioration in the condition of Rav Mordechai Auerbach, rov of Kehillas Abir Yaakov in Tel Aviv and one of the city’s senior rabbonim.

Rav Auerbach was urgently transferred to the intensive care unit at Ichilov Hospital after his medical condition worsened significantly over the past several hours.

Rav Auerbach, a son of the renowned posek Rav Shlomo Zalman Auerbach zt”l, was hospitalized shortly before Rosh Hashanah after suffering from a severe case of pneumonia. His family, talmidim and members of his kehillah have been closely monitoring his condition in recent days.

During the past several hours, however, there was a further decline in his medical indicators, prompting doctors to transfer him to intensive care for advanced treatment.

Earlier today, a special tefillah gathering was held at the kever of his father, Rav Shlomo Zalman Auerbach zt”l, as concern mounted over his condition.

An additional atzteres tefillah is scheduled for midnight tonight, when Rav Auerbach’s talmidim are expected to gather together ahead of the recitation of Selichos and “Zechor Bris.”

His name for tefillah is Rav Mordechai ben Chaya Rivka.

{Matzav.com}