Matzav

Federal officials sharply escalated their criticism of New York’s commercial driver licensing system on Friday, with U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy warning that the state could lose $73 million in highway funding unless it overhauls how it handles licenses issued to immigrants. Duffy said the problem stems from licenses remaining valid well beyond the period an immigrant is authorized to live or work in the country.

State officials pushed back, insisting that their procedures comply fully with federal rules and that they have been properly checking lawful status before issuing any commercial driver’s license. They rejected any suggestion that New York was ignoring regulations or failing to verify documents.

Duffy’s scrutiny of New York is part of his broader national campaign to tighten oversight of truck and bus driver qualifications. He launched that push after a tragic Florida crash in which a truck driver — who was not permitted to be in the country — made an illegal U-turn that led to three fatalities. Although the regulations governing these licenses have been on the books for years, Duffy has begun leaning heavily on states he says are falling short.

While the Transportation Department has emphasized that it is reviewing these “non-domiciled” commercial licenses nationwide, only states with Democratic governors have been threatened with the loss of federal highway money. Still, Duffy insisted politics has nothing to do with it, saying the goal is simply to ensure that anyone operating a massive tractor-trailer is properly vetted and legally authorized.

According to Duffy, federal investigators examined roughly 200 commercial licenses in New York and concluded that more than half were issued incorrectly. Many defaulted to eight-year validity even when an immigrant’s work authorization would expire much sooner. Investigators also reported that New York could not demonstrate proof of lawful-status checks for the 32,000 active non-domiciled commercial licenses currently on the books, and that in some cases the state granted licenses even though the applicant’s work permit had already lapsed.

“When more than half of the licenses reviewed were issued illegally, it isn’t just a mistake — it is a dereliction of duty by state leadership. Gov. (Kathy) Hochul must immediately revoke these illegally issued licenses,” Duffy said.

New York now has a 30-day window to submit its formal response. The DMV, meanwhile, flatly rejected Duffy’s accusations, with spokesperson Walter McClure issuing a pointed rebuttal.

“Secretary Duffy is lying about New York State once again in a desperate attempt to distract from the failing, chaotic administration he represents. Here is the truth: Commercial Drivers Licenses are regulated by the Federal Government, and New York State DMV has, and will continue to, comply with federal rules,” McClure said.

“Every CDL we issue is subject to verification of an applicant’s lawful status through federally-issued documents reviewed in accordance with federal regulations. This is just another stunt from Secretary Duffy, and it does nothing to keep our roads safer. We will review USDOT’s letter and respond accordingly,” the statement continued.

Although immigrants constitute about one-fifth of the nation’s truck-driving workforce, these non-domiciled licenses make up only about 5% of total commercial licenses nationwide. At the same time, the Transportation Department has attempted to impose stricter rules limiting which noncitizens can qualify for commercial licensing, but those regulations are currently paused due to a court ruling.

New York is not the only state facing threats of financial penalties. Duffy has issued similar warnings to California, Pennsylvania, and Minnesota after federal audits flagged significant compliance issues, including licenses remaining valid long after a driver’s work authorization had expired. Under that pressure, California ultimately revoked 17,000 licenses.

{Matzav.com}

A major shift in how COVID-19 vaccines are presented to the public may be on the horizon, as the U.S. Food and Drug Administration is preparing to add a stringent “black box” warning to the shots, according to a CNN report citing individuals familiar with the internal discussions. A black box warning is the FDA’s strongest caution, reserved for highlighting potentially serious risks or important limitations on use.

CNN reported that the effort to implement the enhanced warnings is being directed by Vinay Prasad, who serves as the FDA’s chief medical and scientific officer as well as director of the Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research. His office is reportedly coordinating the review and the proposed language of the label changes.

Pharmaceutical manufacturers Moderna, Pfizer, and Novavax, along with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, did not immediately respond to Reuters when asked for comment about the developing plan.

According to CNN, the proposal remains fluid. Officials have not yet finalized the policy, and the contours of the warning could still be revised before anything is made public.

The report said it is still uncertain whether the warning—expected to be announced before the end of the year—would apply only to mRNA-based vaccines or to all COVID vaccines on the market. It also remains unclear whether the warning would be uniform across all age groups.

Moderna and Pfizer both rely on messenger RNA technology for their shots, while Novavax offers a protein-based vaccine built on a more traditional platform.

Border czar Tom Homan issued a direct challenge to Catholic leadership on Thursday, inviting bishops and pastoral figures to accompany him and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement teams in the field so they can witness, as he put it, “why illegal immigration is not a victimless crime.” His outreach followed repeated criticism from the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, which has warned about fear spreading in immigrant communities and raised concerns about “conditions in detention centers” and “lack of access to pastoral care.”

Pope Leo XIV has also spoken about the emotional toll on longtime residents caught up in enforcement activity, urging that pastoral staff be allowed into detention facilities and noting that people who spent years in the country “never causing problems” have been “deeply affected” by recent policies.

Appearing on “The World Over with Raymond Arroyo,” Homan—who emphasized his identity as a practicing Catholic—pushed back against the suggestion that immigration enforcement violates human dignity. He insisted that abandoning enforcement empowers cartels, increases human trafficking, and leads to more migrant deaths on the journey into the United States.

Homan also argued that border security measures, including stronger physical barriers, directly protect vulnerable populations. In his telling, heightened security “save lives” because fewer migrants are forced onto perilous routes dominated by traffickers.

The tensions around enforcement erupted into national debate when a parish near Boston transformed its Nativity scene to protest ICE. According to the National Catholic Reporter, the traditional Holy Family was removed and replaced with a sign that read “ICE was here.” The Archdiocese of Boston denounced the modified display and asked that it be taken down, saying sacred items should not be turned into political props.

Homan said gestures like that inflame resentment toward front-line officers and contribute to what he described as increasingly dangerous rhetoric directed at ICE personnel. He cast the current immigration strategy under President Donald Trump as unprecedented in its scale and discipline, asserting that the system prioritizes “public safety threats” and “national security threats” while ensuring that all immigration laws are enforced.

He claimed the pace of removals is already surpassing historical markers, saying the government is approaching “around 600,000” removals in under a year. According to Homan, those numbers will rise further as the administration aims to hire 10,000 additional agents and is “tripling the size of the ICE enforcement branch.”

A significant component of the renewed effort, he said, involves tracking down migrant children who were released into the United States during the Biden administration and subsequently disappeared. Homan estimated that roughly half a million minors were smuggled into the country and that federal authorities “lost track” of about 300,000 of them.

He reported that the Trump administration has already identified 62,456 of those children. Some, he said, were safely living with relatives, while others had been forced into “forced labor” or “forced sexual slavery.” Homan added that minors who have reached adulthood will not be removed from the search lists, as exploitation “does not end at adulthood.”

{Matzav.com}

With recent polling showing his party losing momentum, MK Gadi Eisenkot is sharpening his criticism of the government’s proposed draft legislation, sending a pointed letter to Prime Minister Bibi Netanyahu urging him to halt the process.

Eisenkot, who leads the Yashar party, has been struggling to regain ground after earlier surveys projected a double-digit showing. The latest polling places him at just eight seats, down from a peak of twelve, a decline that political observers say is prompting him to intensify his attacks on the draft bill, which he and others in his political bloc label “the draft-dodging law.”

The letter follows his appearance earlier this week before the Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee, where he issued vocal warnings about what he described as dangerous flaws in the legislation.

Eisenkot, a former IDF chief of staff, wrote that he attended the hearing “out of a sense of urgency and the magnitude of the moment,” but left convinced that the government is intent on advancing the law “at any cost.”

He argued that the current version of the security service bill represents a fundamental threat to Israel’s defense structure. “The Security Service Law being rushed forward these days in a feverish blitz in the Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee is a law that endangers the security of the State of Israel. The law dismantles the framework of the people’s army, for which and through which the IDF exists,” he wrote.

Drawing on his decades in senior military leadership, Eisenkot declared, “As a military man most of my life, as chief of staff under your government, and as someone who sat at the junctions of security decision-making for years, I state unequivocally that the draft law now under discussion harms the IDF’s sole mission: defending the State of Israel, ensuring its existence, and winning wars.”

He insisted that the law would fail to supply the IDF with the manpower it requires. “There is no doubt that the law in its current form will not bring the IDF the number of soldiers and fighters it needs, certainly not in wartime, and it does not address the IDF’s needs at all.”

Eisenkot warned against compounding what he called past mistakes. “We must not fix a historic mistake with another historic mistake that may not be reversible, and which will be a calamity for generations — both security-wise and socially.”

He emphasized that the burden carried by IDF soldiers and reservists cannot continue as it has. “IDF soldiers, regular and reserve, who always bear the security burden — and in the past two years more than ever — cannot carry it alone any longer. It is not possible militarily, and it is not legal, equal, or proper personally or socially.”

Eisenkot urged Netanyahu to halt the legislation and bring forward a different version. “In the current situation I call on you personally — stop before destruction. Bring to the Knesset a law that will draft everyone: whether to military, national, or civilian service; return the authority of granting exemptions from rabbis to the state; reward those who serve; punish draft evaders; and allow a deferral of up to 3 percent per draft cycle (about 4,500 students a year). This is possible, and this is the right thing to do.”

He concluded with a stark warning, invoking his earlier caution ahead of October 7. “I view the current proposal as one over which a black flag flies, and therefore I present to you this severe strategic warning for Israel’s security and the values of Israeli society, similar to the one I sent you in August 2023, nearly two months before the failure of the seventh of October.”

{Matzav.com}

An iconic Lakewood, NJ property with deep communal significance has quietly entered the real estate market: The longtime residence of Rav Matisyahu Salomon zt”l, mashgiach of Beth Medrash Govoah, has been listed for sale.

The home, located at 637 6th Street, down the block from Beth Medrash Govoah, is being offered for $1,799,000.

Situated on one of the most sought-after blocks in Lakewood, the listing highlights the rare opportunity to purchase a large residence on an oversized lot in a prime location just steps from the heart of the yeshiva community.

According to the listing, the property features ten bedrooms and five full bathrooms, along with a large amount of living space totaling 6,656 square feet. The entryway includes a vestibule-style front door opening into a foyer, with a study to the right and a newer, spacious kitchen leading into a comfortable family room and an extra-large dining room. The home also includes a large enclosed porch, a main-floor suite with two bedrooms and two full bathrooms, and its own private exterior entrance.

The basement is fully finished and offers extensive additional space. The house sits further back on the lot, allowing for a sizeable side and backyard area. The listing describes the property as particularly well suited for a large family or multigenerational living.

The home served for years as the residence of Rav Salomon, who became one of the most influential mashgichim of the contemporary Torah world after joining Beth Medrash Govoah in 1998. Thousands of talmidim and visitors passed through its doors over the years, seeking guidance, chizuk, and direction from the mashgiach and his rebbetzin.

{Matzav.com}

American officials have reportedly informed Israel that Washington expects Israel to shoulder the enormous task of clearing the mountains of wreckage in the Gaza Strip, according to Ynet, which cited a senior Israeli source familiar with the discussions.

The report says Israel has agreed to the demand, a commitment that could carry a price tag of up to one billion shekels, though the Prime Minister’s Office has declined to address the matter publicly.

International assessments highlight the scale of the challenge. The Wall Street Journal noted that UN Development Program data points to roughly 68 million tons of debris scattered throughout Gaza.

Funding for broader reconstruction has already sparked diplomatic friction. Earlier this week, Qatari Prime Minister Mohammed Abdulrahman Al Thani made clear his country will not bankroll the rebuilding effort, stating, “We are not the ones who are going to write the check to rebuild what others destroyed,” and adding, “When you are talking about Gaza, Israel flattened this land.”

The Ynet report also says the United States is sending Ambassador to Turkey Tom Barrack to meet Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu next week. Barrack is expected to push Israel to allow Turkish forces into Gaza — a proposal Israeli leaders have consistently rejected.

According to the senior Israeli official, U.S. discussions with Jerusalem have increasingly centered on what reconstruction will look like and far less on operational plans to neutralize Hamas. The source adds that Netanyahu has been telling associates privately that dismantling Hamas will ultimately be an Israeli military responsibility.

{Matzav.com}

[Full video below.] Fresh video segments delivered to the Hostages Families Forum Headquarters by the IDF on Thursday brought the public face-to-face with the final months of six captives who were murdered in Rafah in August 2024: Hersh Goldberg-Polin, Eden Yerushalmi, Ori Danino, Alex Lubanov, Almog Sarusi, and Carmel Gat. The material captures the group’s attempts to cling to routine and emotional stability deep underground.

The clips, filmed at various points during their imprisonment, show the hostages trying to normalize the unbearable. They sit together over chessboards and decks of cards, snack on whatever food they are given, trim each other’s hair, and offer physical closeness and encouragement in the cramped tunnel space.

In one scene, Alex Lubanov is seen buzzing a fellow hostage’s hair while joking, “You could enlist today.”

Another moment shows Hersh celebrating a small victory, announcing, “I won at Rummy,” to the amusement of Eden and Carmel. Hersh then turns serious, declaring, “Let all of Israel know that I am alive, healthy, and everything is fine.”

As the 2024 New Year approached, the group tried to mark the moment by filming a cheerful joint message. They counted down in unison, ending their brief celebration with a spirited, “Happy New Year.”

Eden looks directly into the camera and offers her own message: “Happy New Year to all the families. We are waiting to come home. Happy birthday to my little sister, May – may you be happy and healthy. With God’s help, soon, this year, as they say.”

Another recording shows Hersh, whose hand had been amputated on October 7, attempting to reassure loved ones: “We are healthy, alive, they are taking care of us, we are okay. We want to come home. Happy New Year.”

Almog follows with a message full of longing and resolve: “Happy New Year to everyone at home. We will come back to you healthy and whole. Don’t worry. We are here, and we are here to return.”

Chanukah brought its own bittersweet exchange. As they tried to recreate the holiday underground, Eden asks, “Where are the sufganiyot (doughnuts)?” Laughter follows, and someone replies, “We should have asked for a dreidel too.” Hersh chimes in with a craving for normal life: “We’re waiting for Roladin back in Israel.” During their makeshift candle lighting, the hostages expressed their hopes for “miracles” and pledged, “We will continue to believe.”

Ori Danino, wrestling with the impossibility of observing the mitzvah properly, is heard saying, “We are in a place where we cannot truly light Hanukkah candles, because of bandits, wild beasts, and enemies. What we are doing now is a mitzvah. We are trying to fulfill the commandment – but we cannot.”

Another video shows the immense pressure of captivity pressing in. Carmel Gat, in a quiet but firm voice, pleads with one of the terrorists about Almog’s deteriorating condition: “It’s been too long like this, it’s not good. He needs treatment.” She adds, “I’m not a doctor,” emphasizing that he requires real medical help.

Additional footage reveals the six making their way through the damp tunnel passages where they were ultimately killed. At one point, a hostage takes in a rare moment of ventilation and exclaims, “Finally, fresh air.”

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{Matzav.com}

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said this week that millions of American wage earners should brace for unusually large tax refund checks at the start of 2026, crediting the surge to the tax provisions embedded in President Donald Trump’s One Big Beautiful Bill Act.

Bessent explained that the measure’s tax cuts will translate directly into a significant round of refunds during the year’s first quarter, with households poised to receive substantial payouts once filings are processed.

“I think we’re going to see $100-$150 billion of refunds, which could be between $1,000, $2,000 per household,” Bessent said Wednesday.

He attributed the expected cash influx to several components of the law, noting that features such as automatic deductibility and the elimination of taxes on tips form the backbone of next year’s financial boost.

A major factor, Bessent continued, is that working Americans have not yet updated their withholding to reflect the tax changes. As a result, many will have overpaid throughout the year and will get the money back once they file.

After receiving their refund checks, he predicted, people will adjust their withholding so that more of their earnings stay in their paychecks throughout the year.

Workers should then notice what he described as a “real increase” in their take-home pay, Bessent said.

Earlier in the week, Kevin Hassett, who heads the White House National Economic Council, offered a similar projection. He estimated that taxpayers would likely gain an additional $1,600 to $2,000 next year, largely in the form of refunds, according to CNBC.

The One Big Beautiful Bill Act, which cleared Congress in July, has drawn intense pushback from critics who argue the sweeping tax package disproportionately advantages the wealthy while slashing key programs such as Medicaid and food assistance.

{Matzav.com}

Heritage Minister Amichay Eliyahu is exploring the possibility of declaring several destroyed homes in Kibbutz Be’eri as protected national heritage sites, even as the community itself has just voted to remove nearly all of the structures shattered in the October 7, 2023 Hamas massacre. His office signaled this week that the option is on the table.

The kibbutz held an emotional internal referendum two years after the attack reduced entire neighborhoods to ruins. Residents ultimately supported tearing the homes down, approving the measure by a margin of 196 to 146.

Be’eri experienced some of the worst horrors of the onslaught. The small community of roughly 1,000 lost 101 civilians and 31 security personnel that day. Thirty residents and two additional civilians were abducted, and widespread destruction left dozens of homes burned, shot through, or totally collapsed during the battles that followed.

Channel 12 reported that Eliyahu is reviewing a rarely used provision in the Antiquities Law that empowers him to preserve modern buildings—not only ancient ones—if he deems them historically meaningful.

Under the law, the heritage minister can designate any post-1700 structure for national preservation status provided its significance is deemed clear and substantial.

Responding to inquiries, Eliyahu’s office issued a statement that all but confirmed the idea is actively under debate, saying it would be considered only “a last resort.”

According to the ministry, “many requests… from families of those murdered in the towns and kibbutzim” have been submitted, urging the government to use this legal mechanism to safeguard particular homes as national heritage sites. The office added that “the Heritage Ministry has been working tirelessly for over two years to reach broad agreements with each community and kibbutz according to its unique character and needs.”

On Monday, Be’eri publicly announced the results of its vote: every damaged home in the two most devastated neighborhoods will be razed, except for a single house that will be kept standing as the community’s chosen memorial to the tragedy.

The selected house will remain untouched for a period of five years, though the kibbutz has not revealed which home was chosen for preservation.

Be’eri’s community director, Ofer Gitai, explained that the decision is meant to “preserve the memory of the October events, in a way that respects the narrative that the community chooses for itself, and will leave it in full control of the story.”

Some residents argued during the debate that living among the ruins would trap them emotionally. One person declared that they “don’t want to go back to living in Yad Vashem,” invoking the famous Holocaust museum in Jerusalem. Another resident told Ynet, “We don’t want to live in Auschwitz. We need to recover and move on.”

Still, a portion of the kibbutz felt differently, insisting that demolition would wipe away an important physical reminder of Be’eri’s history and the trauma it endured.

A spokesperson for the kibbutz told The Times of Israel that the 62 homes slated for demolition were largely either burned or structurally compromised, and that all would be removed except the single house designated as a memorial. The community does not intend to rebuild in that area.

Meanwhile, construction is progressing on the opposite side of Be’eri. Eighty new homes are being built there with support from the Tekuma Directorate, the state body overseeing reconstruction of the Gaza-envelope communities. Roughly eighty residents have already returned to Be’eri. The majority, however, remain temporarily housed at Kibbutz Hatzerim in the Negev while they await the completion of the new neighborhood, with hopes of returning next summer.

{Matzav.com}

President Donald Trump, speaking Thursday, tied the current dynamics in Gaza and across the region to what he described as a transformed strategic landscape following U.S. action against Iran’s nuclear program. In his view, the stability now taking shape stems directly from the blows dealt to Tehran.

During the exchange with reporters, Trump was asked about the selection of a general to oversee stabilization efforts in Gaza. He responded by emphasizing Washington’s ongoing involvement, saying, “Well, we’re working very strongly on Gaza. Yeah, we’re working very much on Gaza.”

From there, Trump shifted to a sweeping description of regional diplomacy, arguing that unprecedented cooperation is now taking hold. “We actually do have a real piece in the Middle East,” he said. “We have 59 countries supporting it which is, you know, never happened before. We have countries that want to come in and take care of Hamas. We have countries that want to come in and take care of Hezbollah in Lebanon…we have countries that are volunteering to come in and literally take care of the whole thing. We have a great peace in the Middle East. It’s never happened before and I think it’s very strong actually.”

He linked that posture to the airstrikes in Iran, asserting that the operation fundamentally altered the balance of fear in the region. Describing the mission, he said, “When we went in with those B2s and we – and now I could use the word because it’s been confirmed by the Atomic Energy Commission – we obliterated their nuclear capability, their potential and their nuclear capability would have been there in about two months…they were very close to having massive nuclear weapons and these guys went in and they did a job and that made peace possible, because everybody was afraid of Iran and now they’re not afraid of Iran anymore.”

Trump stressed repeatedly that the United States alone could have carried out such a strike. “No other country could have done that,” he asserted. “No other country has weapons like we do. We have the best weapons in the world. We have the best military in the world, and when we took out Iran, that allowed for peace. There’s no way they could have done a deal if Iran was not really nullified. To a large extent, Iran is not the same country. Iran was a country that was feared by everybody. Now it’s a country that’s been very much downgraded.”

Looking ahead, he warned Tehran against any attempt to reconstitute its nuclear infrastructure. If Iran tried to rebuild, Trump said, “we’re going to obliterate that one [too]. You know, we can knock out their missiles very quickly. We have great power and we helped Israel a lot. We were shooting down the drones. We were doing a lot of things for Israel. We did a good job for Israel, but Israel did a good job. They fought and they all fought bravely.”

Trump then noted that he still sees room for diplomacy, insisting that Iranian leaders remain interested in talks with him. “They would love to be able to make a deal with me,” he said. “They would love to be able to make a deal with me and I’d love to make a deal with them if we could. We were reasonably there for a deal with Iran before the bombing, and they would have been much better off if they made a deal. They could have had a deal. They could have had a deal where they would have been much better off. Look at what we’ve done. Their place is blown up. Forget about the nuclear the nuclear is gone, but look at the damage they’ve suffered, the death that they’ve suffered. They could have had a deal – nobody would have died, no buildings would have been down, nothing would have happened. But they missed that opportunity, but they would like to make a deal right now. Iran would like to make a deal with me.”

{Matzav.com}

Israel’s Security Cabinet signed off Thursday night on a sweeping decision to formally authorize and regulate nineteen communities throughout Judea and Samaria, moving forward with one of the most extensive expansion steps in years.

The move came in response to a joint initiative advanced by Ministers Bezalel Smotrich and Israel Katz. Among the newly approved locations are Ganim and Kadim, two communities in northern Samaria that were cleared nearly two decades ago during the Disengagement and are now slated for renewed development.

The authorization package covers a mix of longstanding neighborhoods seeking formal status as well as newly emerging sites still in the early phases of construction. The breadth of the decision underscores a significant political milestone in expanding Israel’s presence across the region.

The communities included in the government’s approval are: Esh Kodesh, Allenby, Givat Harel, Ganim, Har Bezek, Ya’ar El-Keren, Yatziv, Yitav West, Kadim, Kochav HaShachar North, Kida, Mishol, Nachal Doron, Pnei Kedem, Reihanit, Rosh HaAyin East, Shalem, and Tamun.

{Matzav.com}

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In a dramatic escalation following a recent Israeli High Court ruling, officials in Israel’s Finance Ministry and Justice Ministry are now considering a complete halt to all yeshiva funding until the government can verify that none of the money is being directed—directly or indirectly—to students classified as draft-evaders.

The emerging proposal, reported by Kan News, comes days after the High Court ruled that the state may not finance, even indirectly, any yeshiva bochurim who are legally obligated to enlist and have not received deferments.

While government allocations to the Olam HaTorah have already been sharply reduced over the past year, funds are still being transferred to yeshivas under existing budget frameworks. Senior officials, however, fear that even with stipends to draft-evading students already frozen, general yeshiva funding may still ultimately benefit those individuals.

Earlier today, Kan News reporter Tamar Almog revealed on Reshet Bet that the Attorney General intervened to block an increase in funding for foreign-born avreichim for precisely that concern, arguing that until the government can prove that allocations are not “leaking” to draft-evaders, such increases cannot move forward.

Tonight, it was disclosed for the first time that ministries are weighing an across-the-board shutdown of the entire yeshiva budget unless and until the state can demonstrate clearly that no part of the funding is supporting students who are obligated to enlist.

Such a measure would freeze billions of shekels annually and would set off a major political and communal upheaval, dealing an unprecedented blow to the chareidi sector and triggering far-reaching implications in the coalition.

{Matzav.com}

Tensions rose on Thursday during a meeting between Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu and the United Torah Judaism faction, as the continued stalemate over the draft law leaves chareidi lawmakers under growing pressure from their constituents.

The meeting, held under significant time constraints, was described as partially heated. According to remarks aired on Channel 13, Netanyahu tried to calm concerns, saying he has no intention of going to elections now and that he would lead a public campaign in support of the law to ensure it passes.

The MKs, however, expressed the strain they are experiencing on the ground.

MK Yaakov Tessler reportedly told Netanyahu, “We can’t go to the batei knesses because people shout at us over the situation.”

UTJ chairman Yitzchok Goldknopf challenged the prime minister as well, saying, “Your grandfather learned Torah and sat in the mizrach. Here they are putting Torah learners in prison.”

MK Asher added that “the rabbonim have not yet approved the wording.”

According to the leaked comments, Netanyahu reiterated that he wants to maintain the long-term partnership between Likud and UTJ and said, “I am not interested in elections at this time. The alliance between Likud and United Torah Judaism is long term. We will run a campaign explaining why this law is good. Only Edelstein and Shasha-Biton will oppose.”

After the meeting, Likud issued a statement saying: “Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu concluded a meeting with the United Torah Judaism faction, part of a series of meetings he is holding with all coalition parties. The prime minister and UTJ members discussed the issues currently on the agenda.”

{Matzav.com}

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.”

{Matzav.com}

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.”

{Matzav.com}

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.

{Matzav.com}

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}