Matzav

A civil lawsuit seeking 220,000 shekels in damages has been filed against an Arab bus driver who, two years ago in Yerushalayim, sprayed perfume at a group of chareidi teenagers while telling them they “stink” and ordering them to move to the back of the bus.

The incident, which occurred on Egged’s Route 19, resurfaced after the Honenu legal organization submitted a civil claim on behalf of the youths, following the closure of the police file and the rejection of an appeal against that decision.

Attorney Chaim Bleicher of Honenu, who filed the suit, said the goal is both to compensate the boys and to deter future acts of anti-Jewish harassment.

According to the lawsuit, the event took place on June 16, 2023. The victims, aged 14 and 15, boarded the bus with two friends. The teens, described in the filing as having a distinctly traditional Jewish appearance with peyos, sat quietly in a double seat near the front of the vehicle, leaving an empty row between themselves and the driver.

The claim states that the boys were behaving respectfully when the bus approached the Petach Tikva Junction. At that point, the driver allegedly stopped at a station, glared at them with clear disdain, and instructed them to move to the rear, saying they were “stinking.” He also warned that if they refused, he would spray perfume on them.

When the teens asked why he was ordering them to the back, the driver allegedly took out a bottle of perfume or air freshener and sprayed each of them at close range, directing the mist at their bodies and faces. The suit says the driver’s actions constituted an unlawful assault motivated by racism, as well as defamatory statements toward the youths.

Attorney Bleicher condemned the behavior, saying, “The lawsuit describes a disgusting antisemitic incident targeting children. This is especially serious when involving a bus driver who is responsible for the safety and security of hundreds of passengers every day. Unfortunately, law enforcement authorities declined to address this incident on the criminal level, and we are making an effort, at least in the civil sphere, to compensate the boys for the significant anguish they suffered and to create deterrence against such antisemitic acts.”

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Moments before stepping onstage this week, famed singer Avraham Fried recounted a deeply personal incident that occurred during a recent concert tour in Europe, a moment he said he will never forget. At a train station abroad, a police officer suddenly approached him with his lost wallet in hand, leading to an emotional exchange that left a strong impression on the singer.

Speaking with Dudi Kepler, Fried described the whirlwind of travel that preceded the story. “I was in France,” he said, explaining that he had been rushing from place to place: “I was running from one place to another for concerts — Belgium, France, London, Zurich.”

He recalled standing at a train gate in one of those countries, waiting for the train to arrive. “Suddenly I see a tall police officer standing in front of me. He walks over and asks me, ‘Is this yours?’ I look at his hand and see my wallet. ‘Yes,’ I told him immediately. ‘It’s mine.’”

Fried said he was completely confused as to how the wallet had ended up with the officer. “I didn’t understand. I asked the officer: Ribono Shel Olam, this is mine — where did you find it?” The officer explained that Fried had forgotten it on the counter when purchasing his ticket.

But the singer still wondered how the officer had known to whom it belonged in such a crowded station. “I still didn’t understand. I said to the officer: Wait, there are thousands of people here — how did you know this wallet is mine?”

The officer responded that he had no choice but to open it. “He said: ‘With respect, rabbi, I had no choice. I opened the wallet, and inside was a picture of your father.’

“It was a picture of the Rebbe.”

Fried concluded the story with emotion: “So on the train, on the way to the next place, I kept thinking that even a police officer, not Jewish, knows and feels that the Rebbe is a father.”

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The passing of the great mekubal and tzaddik, Chacham Moshe Chaim Aryeh zt”l, earlier this week left an immense void in the world of Torah and avodah. Yet alongside the grief emerged an extraordinary life-lesson — a story that encapsulated his unwavering faith, his boundless dedication to mitzvos, and a spiritual test that spanned twenty long years until its miraculous conclusion just hours before his soul returned to its Maker.

Family members, talmidim, and countless visitors who came during the shivah shared accounts of his hidden greatness, quiet devotion, and the radiant light he carried. But one story — the final chapter of his life — stood above all, offering a powerful lesson in emunah, love, and the absolute supremacy of kibbud av.

Among those who knew him, it was well known that Rabbi Moshe Chaim Aryeh shared an unusually deep spiritual connection with the saintly Rav Sasson Mizrachi zt”l, a bond reminiscent of “v’nafsho keshurah b’nafsho.” Their relationship was rooted entirely in Torah, yiras Shamayim, and shared holiness.

After serving for two decades as mashgiach in Yeshivas Porat Yosef–Geulah under the leadership of Chacham Yehuda Tzadka, Rav Moshe Chaim was urged by Rav Sasson to leave the yeshiva world and instead devote himself to the chinuch of bnos Yisroel, establishing schools built on deep purity and Torah values.

Rav Moshe Chaim hesitated. “What will be with my olam haba?” he asked his revered rebbi. Rav Sasson, perceiving both the need of the generation and the unique mission awaiting his talmid, persisted — and then made an extraordinary offer.

He proposed a written pact: each would grant the other “half of his World to Come,” joining their spiritual destinies forever. This rare agreement gave Rav Moshe Chaim the strength to begin the Orah v’Simchah educational network for girls in Yerushalayim.

To complete their partnership, the two purchased adjacent burial plots in the Sanhedria cemetery. When Rav Sasson passed away in 1998, he was buried in his place — while the neighboring grave meant for Rav Moshe Chaim remained empty.

But life brought an unexpected test.

About twenty years ago, Rav Moshe Chaim’s father, Rav Chaim Yitzchak Aryeh zz”l, passed away. To fulfill the mitzvah of kibbud av, he made a stunning decision: he relinquished his own burial plot, the one designated beside his revered teacher, and gave it to his father.

“Kibbud horim comes before everything,” he declared.

With that, the family began a long and grueling search for a new grave in Sanhedria — a search that repeatedly met the same response: “There is no space. It is impossible.” For two decades, their efforts led nowhere.

But Rav Moshe Chaim remained completely calm.

“Do you think Hashem doesn’t know where I’m supposed to be buried?” he told his children. “The place is already reserved. Everything is fine. Hashem forgets no one.”

His serenity stood in stark contrast to the family’s anxious attempts. Again and again he asked them, “Do you believe or not? If you believe, it will happen.”

And then — everything changed.

On Thursday, 7 Kislev, just four days before his passing, one of the sons met by chance with a friend who had once tried to help secure a plot. The son asked him to try once more, explaining that he had promised his father.

At 3:30 that afternoon came an astonishing phone call: “A spot has just now opened,” the friend said in disbelief. “They told me it’s becoming available at this very moment. Send your father’s ID immediately!”

The paperwork was arranged, and on Sunday afternoon the family finalized the purchase of the long-awaited plot.

When they informed the Rav, he did not express surprise. His expression conveyed only one message: This was always part of the plan.

That night, he ate supper as usual. But later that evening, some food entered his lungs, and he was rushed to the hospital. The doctors warned the family to prepare. Early Monday morning, 11 Kislev, Rav Moshe Chaim Aryeh returned his pure soul to Heaven — and was buried in the very plot that had been secured only days earlier.

Thursday: the discovery.
Sunday: the purchase.
Monday morning: the burial.

A sequence orchestrated with perfect precision, as though Heaven had waited for the exact moment to reveal what had been prepared all along.

1. From kibbud av, one never loses.
Rav Moshe Chaim surrendered an unparalleled spiritual privilege — being buried beside his rebbe, a partner in eternal reward — to honor his father. His choice teaches that kibbud av v’em overrides personal aspirations, even lofty spiritual ones. And in the end, he lost nothing; Heaven returned to him exactly what he needed, in miraculous fashion.

2. Everything is already decreed; our role is to trust.
For twenty years, the family faced endless refusals. Yet the Rav remained steadfast: “Hashem knows exactly where I need to be buried.” His unwavering faith opened the gates of salvation in the most dramatic way possible.

3. For tzaddikim, miracles are simply the natural order.
While the family marveled at the timing and the impossibility of the events, the Rav accepted it with calm simplicity. As the Ramban writes, everything — even what appears “natural” — is a direct expression of Hashem’s will. The Rav lived with that truth every moment of his life.

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A political storm erupted in the Knesset after Likud MK Tally Gotliv used the protection of parliamentary immunity to disclose what she described as a critical and previously concealed detail surrounding the breakdown in Israel’s security posture before the October 7 massacre. Speaking in the plenum, she claimed that the official known as Oscar, who once headed the Shin Bet’s Southern District, dispatched an operative to the Erez crossing late on the night of October 6 for a direct conversation with a senior Hamas operative roughly eight hours before the onslaught began.

Gotliv identified the meeting as highly troubling, stating, “R. from the Shin Bet, known as Oscar, I didn’t add the first letter of your last name out of courtesy, sent an officer to the Erez crossing on the night of October 6th at around 10 p.m. to meet with the cruel Izz al-Din al-Haddad.” Her remarks suggested that the rendezvous took place at a moment when multiple indicators of heightened terror activity were already emerging.

She further alleged that the purpose of the contact was to obtain information straight from the Hamas figure about unusual communications patterns, explaining that the official was seeking clarity about “SIM cards and other signs.” Gotliv fiercely criticized the very idea of relying on such a source, charging that “in your utter lunacy, you believed the bizarre story that the damned terrorist told you.”

Her dramatic intervention came as wider questions mount regarding why several senior security officials have not cooperated with the State Comptroller’s investigation into the intelligence collapse that paved the way for the October 7 attack. Reports indicate that two top Shin Bet figures have repeatedly declined to appear, even after State Comptroller Matanyahu Englman triggered an unprecedented legal mechanism to compel testimony.

Linking the refusal directly to the alleged late-night meeting, Gotliv confronted the official through her remarks, demanding, “Now I understand why you refuse to appear before the State Comptroller.” Her comments implied that the hidden encounter may be at the heart of their reluctance to cooperate.

Gotliv also highlighted the contrasting operational decisions taken in those crucial hours. She pointed to the deployment of the Tequila unit, a covert and highly trained team sent to the Gaza perimeter due to troubling intelligence indicators, while simultaneously thousands of young people attending the Nova music festival remained unprotected in an exposed field near the border. Despite the warnings, she said, reinforcements were never summoned and the Prime Minister, Binyamin Netanyahu, was not alerted to the destabilizing signs.

She ended her statement with a vow that the truth will ultimately surface, asserting, “But thankfully, we have brave and reliable people who love our nation and this country, and thanks to them, we will ultimately reach the truth.”

{Matzav.com}

The man charged with murdering conservative activist Charlie Kirk appeared in person for the first time on Thursday, entering a Provo, Utah, courtroom with a relaxed demeanor as he quietly exchanged smiles with his attorneys. At the same time, Judge Tony Graf granted a major request from Kirk’s widow, naming Erika Kirk the official victim representative for the proceedings.

Before any substantive issues were addressed, defense attorneys for 22-year-old Tyler Robinson immediately pressed the court to restrict camera access. Clad in a blue button-down shirt with an argyle tie, Robinson listened as his lawyer, Staci Visser, argued that media coverage could derail the trial by inflaming public opinion and injecting unnecessary turmoil. “We don’t want the chaos that is out in the media in this courtroom,” Visser told the court.

The dispute over transparency didn’t end there. Judge Graf was also expected to determine whether a transcript of an October phone hearing—where it was decided Robinson could appear in court dressed in civilian clothing—should be opened to the public. After closing the courtroom for more than two hours to hear arguments privately, Graf opted to delay both decisions and set a new date of Dec. 29 to finalize his rulings. “I would rather do it right and take more time, than to be rash and miss the mark,” the judge said. “It is an important issue.”

As the hearing dragged on, Robinson’s legal team intensified its objections, accusing the court’s live video feed of inadvertently broadcasting private strategy, including their on-screen documents and whispered discussions. They also protested that the feed exposed Robinson’s shackles, which had been expressly ordered concealed. “We believe this threatened my client’s right to a fair trial,” Visser said. “That’s entirely inappropriate.” She pushed to shut cameras off entirely, though Judge Graf instead instructed that they simply be repositioned to avoid the defense table.

This was the first time the public saw Robinson physically present, as all earlier sessions had been held virtually. Despite the severity of the accusations, he appeared unshaken. Prosecutors say Robinson opened fire on the 31-year-old Kirk on September 10 during a Turning Point USA event at Utah Valley University, gunning him down in front of thousands.

Kirk, a father of two and a leading voice among young conservatives, was struck once in the neck and collapsed as horrified attendees watched. Videos from multiple angles spread online within minutes, sending shockwaves across the country and fueling public outcry.

The charges against Robinson are extensive: aggravated murder, felony discharge of a firearm causing serious bodily injury, obstruction of justice, two counts of witness tampering, and committing a violent offense in the presence of a child. Despite defense protests, Judge Graf insisted Robinson would remain restrained during court for safety reasons, though media were instructed not to photograph the shackles.

Robinson’s effort to keep cameras out has drawn backing from the Utah County Sheriff’s Office. But Erika Kirk—now officially recognized as her late husband’s representative—has forcefully advocated for full public visibility. “There were cameras all over my husband when he was murdered,” she said in an interview with Fox News’ Jesse Watters. “There have been cameras all over me, analyzing my every move, analyzing my every smile, my every tear. We deserve to have cameras in there.”

Regardless of the judge’s ultimate decision on courtroom recording, Erika Kirk will now have a formal role in the proceedings. Granting her request, Judge Graf concluded the hearing by stating, “This court will recognize Miss Erika Kirk as the designated victim representative in this case,” before adding, “Thank you.”

{Matzav.com}

A new Channel 14 poll released Thursday night presents an updated snapshot of the Israeli political landscape, showing significant shifts across multiple blocs. While the Likud remains dominant, the survey indicates a sharp rise for Arab parties, continued stagnation for Yair Lapid, and an almost complete collapse for Benny Gantz.

According to the poll, if elections were held today, the Likud would retain its strength with 35 seats—unchanged from the previous survey. Naftali Bennett’s party gains one seat, rising to 13. Shas remains stable on 11 seats, followed by Yair Golan’s “Democrats,” which hold steady at 10.

Yisrael Beiteinu slips by one seat to 10, while United Torah Judaism remains unchanged with 8. Gadi Eisenkot’s Yashar party polls at 7 seats, matching the result for Otzma Yehudit. The Arab Islamist Ra’am party climbs to 6 seats, while Religious Zionism weakens, dropping to 4.

Hadash–Ta’al receives 5 seats. Yesh Atid continues to hover near the electoral threshold with only 4 seats. Blue and White polls at 1.2 seats and Balad at 2.5—both failing to cross the threshold.

Across political blocs, the right-wing camp reaches 65 seats, the left-wing bloc holds 44, and the Arab parties collectively climb to 11 seats.

In the head-to-head question of who is best suited to serve as prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu leads decisively with 53% support. He is followed by Naftali Bennett at 22%. Gadi Eisenkot registers 10%, while Yair Lapid and Avigdor Liberman each receive 7%. Benny Gantz trails far behind, with just 1% backing him for the premiership.

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Intense search efforts are underway for a 19-year-old chareidi young man from central Israel who has been missing since yesterday, with authorities expressing serious concern for his safety.

According to the emergency response organization ZAKA, the teenager was last seen near the Yarkon Stream, raising the possibility that he may have been carried out toward the Mediterranean Sea.

Search teams have been operating for several hours after all contact with the young man was lost approximately a day earlier. Given the length of time he has been missing and the severe weather conditions, officials warn that the danger to his life is significant.

Following a request from the Israel Police, volunteers from ZAKA’s missing-persons unit in Tel Aviv—together with members of the organization’s special-operations team—began sweeping large sections of the coastline, nearby parks, and other areas where clues about his whereabouts were detected.

Stormy winds and rough water conditions have heightened fears and made the search more dangerous and difficult.

Yechiel Goldman, operations coordinator for ZAKA Tel Aviv, said: “Our volunteers have been working in the field for the past several hours with the goal of locating the missing young man as quickly as possible. The storm has made the conditions extremely challenging, and every moment may be critical.”

A joint command post has been set up at the National Park in collaboration with ZAKA Tel Aviv and Israel’s emergency and security services. From there, search sectors are being assigned and coordinated, with teams continuing to comb all relevant areas as the investigation continues.

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Thousands of members of the Chassidishe community of London flooded the streets of the city in a large-scale protest against Israel’s proposed draft law. A broad coalition of Chassidic groups united publicly to oppose the legislation currently under debate in the Israeli Knesset.

The rally took place outside the Israeli Embassy and attracted participants from Satmar, Ger, Belz, Vizhnitz, Boyan, Bobov, Tchernobyl, and several other Chassidic communities.

Protesters filled both sides of the road while allowing traffic to continue moving, maintaining strict order throughout the event.

From the crowd rose a repeated chant in English: “Shame on you, Israeli government!”

The Stamford Hill neighborhood alone sent more than 70 buses, aside from those who arrived by train and other public transportation.

The event opened with remarks from Rabbi Yechezkel Weiss of Monsey, who traveled from the United States specifically to address the gathering.

He was followed by Rabbi Moshe Menachem Weiss, a Satmar leader in London, who shared a story from a recent visit to Israel. He described spending a weekend in Meron with his rebbe, during which local organizers arranged a driver for him. The driver, a chareidi man who is not currently studying in a yeshiva, revealed that he was officially considered absent without leave from the Israeli army. Rabbi Weiss told the crowd that he asked the driver why he refused to enlist if he was not engaged in full-time study. According to Rabbi Weiss, the driver told him: “I would rather be taken to prison than drafted into the army. I would not be able to keep my religious commitments the way I try to now. I know that if I go, I will come out spiritually destroyed.”

The driver went on to warn that the authorities were targeting the community’s most vulnerable young people, comparing it to going after “stragglers” and saying that even the youth who are struggling religiously must be protected.

Rabbi Leibus Padwa, son of London’s chief rabbinic authority for the chareidi community, led the assembled crowd in a recitation of Tehillim.

After him spoke Rabbi Baruch Nosson Halberstam of Satmar, followed by Rabbi Chaim Pinchos Miller of the Tchernobyl kehillah . Rabbi Marmerstein then addressed the crowd in English.

The demonstration concluded with kabbolas ohl malchus Shomayim led by the nearly 100-year-old dayan Rabbi Shalom Friedman, one of the most senior rabbonim in Europe.

At the end of the rally, Rabbi Yitzchok Meir Kopel read a formal statement calling for the draft legislation to be canceled entirely.

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Wikipedia drew criticism from Jewish leaders after the site’s editors opted to freeze discussion about the title of a page that refers to Israel committing a “massacre” in June 2024.

The decision means that no one can even discuss changing the title of the page “Nuseirat rescue and massacre” until at least August 2026. The page refers to the Jewish state’s liberation of the four hostages—Noa Argamani, Almog Meir Jan, Andrey Kozlov and Shlomi Ziv—from Gaza.

Citing “Palestinian health officials,” the Wikipedia page claims that “at least” 276 Palestinians were killed during the operation. It also says that the Israeli military recorded fewer than 100 Palestinian deaths. The Israeli media article Wikipedia cites notes that there were terrorists among the Palestinian deaths, but the encyclopedia’s page doesn’t say that.

At least as of Oct. 2, the Wikipedia page calling it a “massacre” stated that it was redirected from a page called “2024 Nuseirat rescue operation,” per an archived version of the page. Wikipedia reportedly had that page and one on “Nuseirat refugee camp massacre” as of June 18, 2024.

After some efforts were made to change the title of the current page, Wikipedia editors proposed a moratorium on changes on July 26 and put the ban in place on Dec. 8, to last until Aug. 3.

“Wikipedia, once again, seems to be misleading its readers,” Daniel S. Mariaschin, CEO of B’nai B’rith International, told JNS.

“The Nuseirat matter tells us two things about the war in Gaza,” he said. “We learned, early on, that any figures issued by the Hamas-led ‘Gaza Health Ministry’ were always highly inflated and not credible.”

Mariaschin added that Israeli hostages “being held by Palestinian civilians in apartment buildings speaks clearly to Hamas’s policy of surrounding itself, or those connected to it, with human shields.”

“The real story here should be that kidnapped Israelis were being held hostage and were successfully rescued,” he told JNS.

Vlad Khaykin, executive vice president of social impact and North American partnerships at the Simon Wiesenthal Center, told JNS that Wikipedia’s use of the word “massacre” in the title is “not a neutral descriptor.”

“It is a verdict—one that draws its authority from casualty figures and claims that remain deeply contested, often circulated by those intent on recasting Israel’s efforts at self-defense as acts of villainy,” he said.

“To enshrine such a term in a headline, absent the slow work of context and verification, is not an act of impartiality,” Khaykin told JNS. “It is the quiet rewriting of the story before the facts have even settled.”

‘Moratorium on truth’

Earlier this year, Wikipedia editors placed another moratorium on discussion on a different page—a dramatic measure that it tends to take rarely. It says that such a decision “should be used with caution,” since it runs “counter to the general practice on Wikipedia that any editor may initiate a discussion on any topic related to the operations of the encyclopedia at any time.”

On Feb. 21, editors reportedly placed a year-long ban on discussions to change the line “Zionists wanted to create a Jewish state in Palestine with as much land, as many Jews and as few Palestinian Arabs as possible” in the opening paragraph of the Wikipedia article on “Zionism.”

“Since when do relied-upon sources of information online place a moratorium on the truth?” Mariaschin told JNS. “The treatment of the story of the Jews’ return to their ancient homeland is not just given short shrift. It is given a fabricated treatment of history that is both biased and dangerous.”

“One can only imagine how many people searching for the facts will walk away with an intentionally false narrative,” he said.

Khaykin told JNS that the moratorium on the Zionism page “locked in a one-sided version of history.”

In January, Wikipedia’s arbitration committee banned eight editors from editing Arab-Israeli articles indefinitely. Six of the eight are anti-Israel. They can appeal their suspensions after one year.

“This is not a simple quarrel among volunteers,” Khaykin told JNS. “It is a case study in how determined actors can quietly seize the levers of an open system, rewriting reality while the world looks away.”

A JNS review found that moratoria have only been implemented a handful of times this year, including efforts to rename the article on the Gulf of Mexico, which U.S. President Donald Trump calls the “Gulf of America,” and discussions about the gender of an Algerian boxer. (JNS sought comment from the Wikimedia Foundation.)

In February 2024, a moratorium paused discussion for three months on efforts to rename an article then titled “Israel-Hamas war.” The title of the page was changed to “Gaza war” in January. A moratorium proposal to freeze discussion on changing the title of the “Gaza genocide” page failed in August 2024.

The U.S. House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform is investigating Wikipedia over concerns of “potentially systematic efforts to advance antisemitic and anti-Israel information in Wikipedia articles related to conflicts with the State of Israel.”

Holly Huffnagle, U.S. director of antisemitism policy for the American Jewish Committee, told JNS that “coordinated and manipulated Wikipedia editing campaigns are dangerous and something that the Wikimedia Foundation must take seriously.”

“These campaigns have the power to distort the public record, exploiting the trust people place in an open encyclopedia to push narratives crafted for hidden agendas,” she said. “Because Wikipedia is so widely cited, including by AI chatbots, even subtle, organized manipulations can change public opinion, shape news coverage and conceal the truth.”

“Procedures and policy must reflect and address these concerns,” she said.

Khaykin told JNS that Wikipedia “now serves as a foundational layer of the global information ecosystem.”

“Its content feeds directly into Google search results and informs Alexa and Siri responses,” he said. “Increasingly, it influences AI platforms like ChatGPT. When Wikipedia’s neutrality is compromised at the source, that distortion spreads.”

“Downstream tools then shape how students, journalists, policymakers and the public understand complex issues,” Khaykin told JNS.

Wikipedia “allows a small group to dictate what the world is permitted to know, then those who build our digital commons must ask themselves whether such a platform deserves its place of trust,” he added. “A source so easily captured should not be allowed to shape historical perspective or the truths we pass on to the next generation.” JNS

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Pomona College reached a settlement with the Anti-Defamation League, the Louis D. Brandeis Center for Human Rights Under Law and Hillel International on Wednesday, following a complaint the trio filed with the U.S. Department of Education in April 2024.

The three groups alleged in the complaint that the private liberal arts school in southern California allowed “severe discrimination and harassment of Jewish students” to occur on campus. The Education Department said in August that it was probing the matter.

Under the new agreement, the highly-ranked school will recognize that the word “Zionist” tends to be used as a code for “Jew” and will use the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance’s working definition of Jew-hatred when investigating alleged antisemitism on campus.

Jonathan Greenblatt, CEO and national director of the ADL, stated that the agreement is a “critical turning point for Pomona’s Jewish students, faculty and staff.”

“The comprehensive reforms negotiated with Pomona touch nearly every aspect of campus life, and we welcome the college’s significant, multi-faceted commitment to fighting antisemitism on its campus,” he said.

“With the reforms in this agreement, we expect meaningful and urgent strides toward Pomona’s promise of creating a safe and welcoming environment for its Jewish and Israeli students, faculty and staff,” he added.

The college commits to recognize that targeting Zionists can violate the school’s nondiscrimination policies if it’s “on the basis of their actual or perceived Jewish or Israeli shared ancestry” and that “Zionist” is “often used as a code word for ‘Jew,’” per the agreement.

The school must also appoint a coordinator to ensure compliance with Title VI of the 1964 Civil Rights Act, and Pomona’s website must include an option to report Title VI incidents. Students, faculty and staff will also be required to take Title VI training, according to the agreement, which is to begin in the spring.

G. Gabrielle Starr, president of Pomona, stated that “antisemitism has persisted for thousands of years, and this settlement is not a one-size-fits-all toolkit.”

“It’ll be up to our community to put it in place and to live it,” she said.

Kenneth L. Marcus, chairman of the Brandeis Center and former U.S. assistant secretary of education for civil rights, stated that “the action steps outlined in this settlement will address the blatant and egregious antisemitism faced by Pomona’s students, therefore protecting students from facing similar treatment in the future.”

“We hope it encourages others to take legal action against those who violate our constitutional rights,” he said. JNS

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Israel will ban mobile phone use by children on elementary school grounds starting on Feb. 2, Education Minister Yoav Kish announced on Thursday.

The policy expands a 2019 ban that prohibited phones during classes. Under the new rules, students cannot use devices during breaks or before lessons. Phones will be allowed only in designated classes with staff approval for educational purposes.

The Education Ministry said the ban aims to help pupils develop social and emotional skills, improve school climate and enable better focus on learning. Officials cited studies on mobile phone impacts and global trends, including Australia’s recent ban on social media for users under 16.

The ministry will implement educational programs and work with parents to promote balanced phone use and reduce exposure to inappropriate content. JNS

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Israeli security services have uncovered new intelligence that may shed light on the burial site of Ran Gvili, according to a Channel 12 News report aired Thursday night. Officials have launched initial on-the-ground examinations over the past several days to assess the credibility of the information.

Investigators are now concentrating on a location associated with operatives from the Islamic Jihad terror organization, whose members carried out Ran Gvili’s abduction during the October 7 attack. In contrast to earlier assessments, Israeli officials now believe that the militants believed to have taken part in his burial are still alive.

Defense sources say that if Hamas demonstrates willingness, interrogating Islamic Jihad operatives could enable Israel to pinpoint the precise site where Gvili was buried. They note that cooperation on this matter is essential for any further progress in negotiations.

Channel 12 also reported that Israel has delivered a clear message in diplomatic channels: it will not advance to Phase 2 of the Trump ceasefire agreement until a resolution is reached regarding the repatriation of Ran Gvili’s body for burial in Israel.

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New York City Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani is standing firmly behind a video he released over the weekend instructing immigrants on how to assert their rights if confronted by federal immigration officers. The clip, posted on X, portrayed the city as a haven for the more than 3 million immigrants who call it home and emphasized their need for protection.

Mamdani, who identifies as a democratic socialist, said the video was prompted by what he described as an attempted ICE raid near Canal Street. He told viewers that New Yorkers should understand exactly what they can do when approached by immigration agents. In the video, he reminded residents that ICE “cannot enter private spaces without a judicial warrant signed by a judge.”

He cautioned that officers may present documents that appear official but do not grant legal authority to enter a home, stressing that individuals have the absolute right to refuse consent and to remain silent. Mamdani also pointed out that New Yorkers may legally record ICE activity as long as they do not interfere with law enforcement. He urged people to stay composed and invoked their constitutional right to protest peacefully.

Following backlash from federal officials, Mamdani defended the guidance during a Wednesday interview with MS Now. He insisted that his administration will push back against President Donald Trump’s expanded enforcement efforts and emphasized that “any ICE officer who violates city law” will be held to account. He reiterated that New York’s sanctuary laws will remain fully in place and that the NYPD will not assist federal agents with immigration enforcement.

According to Mamdani, the city’s own police force is entirely capable of maintaining safety without federal involvement. He added that he told Trump during a November meeting in the Oval Office that the recent ICE raids in New York were “cruel and inhumane.” Mamdani argued that the city neither needs nor wants ICE or National Guard deployments to keep residents secure.

The clash intensified after Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem condemned Mamdani’s video on Fox News, suggesting that some of his statements might violate the Constitution. She said federal officials were examining the matter with the Department of Justice.

When asked by MS Now whether he is prepared to face potential arrest for refusing to cooperate with the crackdown, Mamdani did not back down. The mayor-elect said he is fully ready to accept “any consequence” that comes with defending the people of New York.

{Matzav.com}

NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte delivered a stark warning in Berlin on Thursday, urging European nations to ready themselves for the possibility of a major global conflict. Rutte told attendees at a security forum that Europe is “Russia’s next target,” and cautioned that Moscow could be capable of striking NATO “within five years.”

Rutte said the alliance can no longer think in peacetime terms, declaring that Europe must “shift to a wartime mindset.” He evoked the scale of suffering endured by earlier generations, warning that modern Europeans may need to prepare for hardships akin to what their “grandparents or great-grandparents endured,” including mass mobilization and destruction on a scale unseen in decades.

The secretary general argued that Russia’s assault on Ukraine — supported by Chinese technology along with Iranian and North Korean weaponry — demonstrates the Kremlin’s ambition to rebuild an “empire” and its perception of open Western societies as existential threats. He said that if Vladimir Putin subdues Ukraine and reaches NATO territory, alliance countries could face “a truly gargantuan” spike in defense costs along with a sharply elevated risk of direct confrontation.

Rutte celebrated commitments made at this year’s NATO summit in The Hague, where member states agreed to ramp up total defense spending to 5% of GDP by 2035. That includes 3.5% specifically dedicated to core military funding, far above the long-standing 2% minimum guideline. He pointed to Germany’s own pledge to reach 3.5% by 2029, calling the figure “staggering,” and pressed other nations to match the effort.

New initiatives are also coming online to harden NATO’s eastern defenses. Rutte highlighted “Eastern Sentry” and “Baltic Sentry,” operations aimed at safeguarding critical infrastructure following incidents such as Russian drones entering Polish airspace and disruptions to Baltic undersea cables.

The secretary general further promoted the alliance’s PURL program — the Prioritized Ukraine Requirements List — which channels allied financing into American-made Patriot systems and other air-defense equipment for Kyiv. More than two-thirds of NATO members have joined the effort, pledging roughly $4 billion so far.

Even as he underscored the urgency of NATO’s response, Rutte acknowledged that his call for rapid expansion of defense budgets will test European publics already strained by inflation and taxes. He admitted that the shift toward what he described as “emergency budgets” will require politically painful sacrifices in domestic spending.

Rutte also made a point of crediting President Donald Trump during his Berlin remarks. He told the audience it was Trump, “when he was Trump 45 and now Trump 47,” who persistently demanded that Europe and Canada increase defense spending, and argued that the newly agreed-upon 5% target aligns directly with what Trump had pushed for during his first term.

In a separate comment, Rutte agreed that solving the war in Ukraine inevitably depends on Washington’s leadership and Trump’s influence. He stated plainly that “President Trump wants to end the bloodshed now, and he’s the only one who can get Putin to the negotiating table,” underscoring that any viable peace initiative will run through the White House.

{Matzav.com}

This past week, Naava Kodesh hosted a series of open houses and events across the U.S., including in Monsey, N.Y., Toms River, N.J., and Baltimore, M.D., reflecting a growing interest in Aliyah among Yeshivish families and communities.

The events featured Naava Kodesh staff from both Israel and the U.S., who shared updates on Anglo-friendly schools, welcoming communities, and realistic employment pathways for frum families considering Aliyah in the coming years. Attendees also engaged in a robust and honest Q&A on how to practically prepare, plan, and make the move successfully.

The gatherings were made possible through the generous sponsorship of the Dream Raffle, whose partnership enabled Naava Kodesh to bring these resources and conversations directly to families exploring their future in Eretz Yisroel.

Chairing the Toms River open house was R’ Yisroel Rosenberg, Head of the Naava Kodesh Lakewood Division. “The engagement, thoughtful questions, and sincere interest were remarkable. Many expressed appreciation for hearing directly from Naava Kodesh and have already reached out to continue the conversation, some in person at our Lakewood office. I am grateful for this great opportunity,” shared R’ Rosenberg.

In Baltimore, the event was hosted by Bnos Yisroel of Baltimore and saw an unprecedented turnout of nearly 100 participants, including local Rabbanim, mechanchim, and askanim. Rabbi Daniel Rose, shlit”a, Rav of Congregation BJSZ, addressed the audience about the importance of “keeping Eretz Yisroel on our minds even if we are not picking up and moving tomorrow morning. We can’t forget — we can plan and daven to be zocheh to live in Eretz Yisroel.” Rabbi Rose concluded, “Our children should grow up with the clear message that ארץ ישראל is our future.”

Joining the events from Israel was Rabbi Hillel Waxman, shlit”a, Rosh Yeshivah of Nachlas Yisroel Yitzchok in Ramat Beit Shemesh, who spoke about the tremendous strides made in the chinuch landscape for families making Aliyah. “The times have significantly changed from the days when I made Aliyah in 1999,” shared Rabbi Waxman. “There are more opportunities, and we are seeing much hatzlacha.”

Also in attendance from Israel was Rabbi Shimon Kronenberg, shlit”a, Rosh Yeshivas Yesodei Yisroel in Ramat Beit Shemesh. “We understand that our community and our children have a unique opportunity to excel and take a leadership role in the future of Eretz Yisroel,” reflected Rabbi Kronenberg. “For their success, we are building a chinuch system that guides our children by accentuating and building upon their unique background and life experience.”

“When we founded Naava Kodesh over a decade ago, the idea that mainstream yeshiva communities across America would seriously explore Aliyah felt almost unthinkable,” shared Tzvi Arnstein, Founder and Executive Director of Naava Kodesh. “Seeing hundreds of families now engaging, learning, and taking real steps toward building their future in Eretz Yisroel is nothing short of historic. This is exactly the shift we believed would one day come, and it’s unfolding in front of our eyes.”

Naava Kodesh is a nonprofit organization dedicated to helping English-speaking families build successful, lasting Torah lives in Eretz Yisrael. Through personalized guidance on community and school placement, fully coordinated pilot trips, and a vast network of volunteer mentors across the country, Naava Kodesh has helped countless families navigate their Aliyah journey with clarity and confidence.

Federal health authorities have begun a broad reassessment of whether any deaths may be connected to COVID-19 vaccinations, marking a major shift in the government’s handling of vaccine safety concerns. Officials revealed this week that the Food and Drug Administration has opened an expansive inquiry spanning multiple demographics.

According to Andrew Nixon, a spokesperson for the Department of Health and Human Services, the agency is “doing a thorough investigation, across multiple age groups, of deaths potentially related to COVID vaccines.” Vaccine makers have also been notified that regulators are reexamining data on RSV immunizations as part of a larger review of post-market safety.

The COVID-19 vaccines were introduced at the end of 2020 under emergency-use authorization, and by the middle of the following year the Pfizer-BioNTech shot became the first to obtain full FDA approval. Public guidance has since tightened, with HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. openly criticizing the vaccines and significantly reducing federal recommendations for who should receive them.

Amid that backdrop, FDA Commissioner Marty Makary announced last month that 10 children had died following COVID-19 vaccination. He told NBC News last week that the Biden administration withheld information about the risk of myocarditis — a heart inflammation condition — from public release. “We have done more to study myocarditis and to go back and look at deaths of people, of children from the COVID vaccine,” Makary said. He added, “Internal data submitted on myocarditis, we found that the Biden administration was sitting on data on myocarditis in young people, and it was not made public.”

In response to the accumulating findings, FDA official Vinay Prasad circulated a memo to agency staff, saying the revelations would trigger a revision of how the FDA evaluates immunizations, including flu shots, placing heightened requirements on manufacturers to demonstrate safety and efficacy. “This is a profound revelation,” Prasad wrote in the memo, which The New York Times first disclosed. “For the first time, the U.S. F.D.A. will acknowledge that COVID-19 vaccines have killed American children.”

{Matzav.com}

The White House is preparing to launch the last phase of interviews for the next Federal Reserve chair, a process that had been delayed after plans for meetings last week were abruptly scrapped. The decision comes as attention intensifies over who will guide U.S. monetary policy deep into President Donald Trump’s second term.

Speaking aboard Air Force One on Tuesday night, Trump confirmed that the field has narrowed. He noted that his team is “going to be looking at a couple different people” to replace Jerome Powell and added, “I have a pretty good idea of who I want.”

Powell’s four-year tenure as chair expires in May 2026, making this appointment one of the most consequential economic decisions of the administration. The next chair will shape interest rate strategy, the federal response to inflation pressures, and the balance of independence between the central bank and the White House.

Because the chair serves as the central public figure for U.S. monetary policy and presides over the Federal Open Market Committee — the group that determines interest rates — any hint of a shift in leadership direction can jolt financial markets. Borrowing costs for mortgages, auto loans, business credit lines, and consumer financing all move in response to the Fed’s signals.

Investors have been parsing Trump’s comment that he already has a strong sense of whom he intends to choose, interpreting it as a sign that policy direction under the next chair could become clearer sooner rather than later.

Although Powell’s chairmanship ends in 2026, his underlying term on the Federal Reserve Board extends beyond that date. He could theoretically remain as a governor after stepping down as chair, though historically many outgoing chairs have opted to leave the board entirely once their leadership role concludes.

In recent months, various names have surfaced as plausible successors. Reports have frequently pointed to White House economic adviser Kevin Hassett as a top prospect, along with several other policymakers and market-connected figures who have either served in government or influenced financial regulation.

Reuters has indicated that Hassett is on a short list as Trump’s selection process accelerates into early 2026. As the interview round now restarts, markets will be watching closely for any clue about how the president intends to steer the country’s economic future.

{Matzav.com}

A sweeping ruling from a federal bench has upended the government’s handling of the Kilmar Abrego Garcia case, with U.S. District Judge Paula Xinis ordering his prompt release from immigration custody. In her decision on Thursday, she sharply criticized the chain of events that kept him behind bars. As she wrote, “since Abrego Garcia’s wrongful detention in El Salvador, he has been re-detained, again without lawful authority.”

According to the order, the government cannot deport him anywhere because no lawful removal order exists. Xinis underscored that this procedural void alone blocks officials from expelling him from the United States.

The case involves a Salvadoran man who had been living in Maryland with his wife and children before being forcibly removed in March and sent to El Salvador’s notorious CECOT mega-prison. That deportation flew in the face of a 2019 court ruling forbidding his removal to El Salvador due to his documented fear of persecution. The administration at the time justified the move by alleging ties to MS-13, an accusation he firmly rejects.

Months later, authorities transported him back to the U.S. to stand trial in Tennessee on human smuggling charges — allegations to which he has pleaded not guilty. After his release into his brother’s custody in Maryland while awaiting trial, immigration officers arrested him again. Since then, he has been held in a Pennsylvania detention center.

Following Thursday’s ruling, the Department of Homeland Security lashed out publicly. Spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin condemned the decision online, declaring, “This is naked judicial activism by an Obama appointed judge. This order lacks any valid legal basis and we will continue to fight this tooth and nail in the courts.”

The ruling also comes after the government recently attempted to clear the way to deport Abrego Garcia to Liberia. Officials petitioned Judge Xinis to lift a removal ban, arguing they had secured assurances from Liberian authorities that he would not face harm there.

Instead, Xinis directed federal officials to inform Abrego Garcia when and where he would be released, and to report back to the court by 5 p.m. ET on Thursday.

The 31-page opinion traces each dramatic turn: his deportation to El Salvador, his return to the U.S. to face charges, and the subsequent immigration detention that followed. Xinis found that none of it aligned with the stated purpose of immigration custody. “The circumstances of Abrego Garcia’s detention since he was released from criminal custody cannot be squared with the ‘basic purpose’ of holding him to effectuate removal,” she wrote.

Her order also criticized the government’s handling of alternative removal options. Citing ABC News reporting, she noted that officials could have sent him to Costa Rica — the destination he preferred. “Respondents’ calculated effort to take Costa Rica ‘off the table’ backfired,” Xinis wrote. She pointed out that the Costa Rican government swiftly asserted that “its offer to grant Abrego Garcia residence and refugee status is, and always has been, firm, unwavering, and unconditional.”

The judge further recounted a series of notices sent to Abrego Garcia while he sat in ICE custody. “Respondents serially ‘notified’ Abrego Garcia — while he sat in ICE custody — of his expulsion to Uganda, then Eswatini, then Ghana; but none of these countries were ever viable options,” she wrote.

Upon release, Abrego Garcia is expected to receive updated instructions from the U.S. Pretrial Services Office regarding the conditions tied to his ongoing criminal case.

Back in August, Xinis had already frozen any attempt to remove him from the U.S. until the court resolved the habeas petition. Her latest ruling offered a pointed reflection on the saga: “The history of Abrego Garcia’s case is as well known as it is extraordinary,” she wrote.

The order now places the federal government under renewed scrutiny, while opening a new chapter in one of the most convoluted immigration cases to emerge in recent years.

{Matzav.com}

Tensions inside the administration’s immigration apparatus have grown so sharp that Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem and the president’s border chief, Tom Homan, now communicate only when absolutely necessary. Yet, despite the frayed relationship, a report from Axios on Thursday emphasized that neither is on the verge of being pushed out.

In private, the president has waved off concerns about their mutual hostility. “Kristi’s doing a great job,” he reportedly told an adviser, who then described the conversation to Axios. “Her and Tom don’t get along, but they’re doing great.”

Those familiar with the dynamics say this is exactly how the president operates. “Trump is like that,” one source explained. “He kind of likes people competing against each other. He thinks it makes the product better.”

Not everyone inside the West Wing is as charitable. Another adviser — openly disdainful of Noem — acknowledged that the president is satisfied with his team even if others aren’t. “He’s happy with his cabinet. Do I wish Kristi was gone? Absolutely. But that ain’t happening. At least, not that he’ll tell me.”

The exact catalyst of the Noem–Homan split remains murky. What is clear, according to Axios, is that longtime immigration officials have grown irritated with Noem’s management style and her prominence in promotional campaigns such as the CBP Home self-deportation app. Many career staffers have also been unsettled by the outsized role of her closest adviser, Corey Lewandowski — classified as a special government employee and therefore limited to 130 working days inside the administration.

Backers of Noem have their own grievances, accusing Homan of positioning himself as the public face of the crackdown through frequent Fox News hits and his habit of briefing reporters just outside the West Wing.

The internal clash intensified this fall when Fox News revealed a strategic divide within DHS. According to the outlet, Noem, Lewandowski, and Border Patrol Commander Greg Bovino were advocating large-scale sweeps of illegal aliens to increase deportation totals. By contrast, Homan and acting ICE Director Todd Lyons urged a more targeted mission aimed at offenders with criminal histories.

“ICE started off with the worst of the worst, knowing every target they are hitting, but since Border Patrol came to LA in June, we’ve lost our focus, going too hard, too fast, with limited prioritization,” a senior DHS official told Fox. “It’s getting numbers, but at what cost?”

Another official described the dueling strategies in stark terms: “ICE is arresting criminal aliens. They [Border Patrol] are hitting Home Depots and car washes.”

{Matzav.com}

Newly surfaced video evidence has revealed a haunting glimpse of the final days of several hostages held by Hamas, showing American Israeli citizen Hersh Goldberg Polin and others attempting to mark Chanukah deep beneath the ground where they were imprisoned.

The recording captures the group fashioning a makeshift menorah in the dimness of the tunnel. Despite the unbearable conditions, they join together in singing Maoz Tzur, their voices strained with emotion.

In the background, one hostage can be heard remarking, “Chanukah is awesome, isn’t it?”—a line that, in the context of the setting, sounds drenched in painful irony.

Another voice comments, “It’s strange to see the menorah next to this flag,” seemingly pointing to a Palestinian flag visible beside them.

Among those shown in the clip are Hersh Goldberg Polin, Carmel Gat, Eden Yerushalmi, Alex Lubanov, Almog Sarusi, and Ori Danino, all taken captive during the October 7 attacks.

Investigators believe the grim footage was recorded shortly before the captives were murdered.

IDF officials say the group was killed inside the very tunnels in which they appeared in the video. Their remains were later located and retrieved during military operations after intelligence pinpointed the site.

WATCH:

{Matzav.com}