Matzav

Some 100 people, ranging in age from about 8 to 102, huddled for warmth as they braved 40-degree temperatures on a damp day at Arlington National Cemetery on Monday to watch, as speaker after speaker put it, Pfc. Adolph Hanf and Pvt. David Moser “come home.”

Neither of the Jewish soldiers, who served in World War I and have been dead for more than 100 years, underwent a geographic relocation. But with the help of Operation Benjamin, a donor-supported nonprofit, Moser (1898-1919) and Hanf (1884-1918) received new gravestones with Magein Dovids rather than Latin crosses.

“We take a moment out of our busy lives to remember two men of the Jewish faith, long at rest in this cemetery but mistakenly commemorated,” said Rob Dalessandro, deputy secretary of the American Battle Monuments Commission. “Today, thanks to the efforts of Operation Benjamin and their team, we can better appreciate the shared Jewish sacrifice in the cause of democracy and freedom.”

Rabbi Jacob J. Schacter, the president of Operation Benjamin, told the attendees that his organization’s work is “very important and precious and I would even say holy.”

Schacter told JNS that the new headstones finally provided the two men with a grave marker that was appropriate for them as Jews.

“What we have seen today is an extraordinary expression of the commitment of the Jewish people and of the leadership of the United States of America to set the historical record straight, to bring soldiers who gave their lives for America, as Americans and as Jews, under the marker that represents their ancestral faith,” he said.

Shalom Lamm, the chief historian of Operation Benjamin, noted that few people gathered at the cemetery had even heard of Moser and Hanf prior to two months ago. “What is it about their story that stirs the human soul?” he said. “I’d like to suggest that we all feel a sense of justice being done after all these years for two young men, who sacrificed all for an idea bigger than themselves.”

“We instinctively know that when they lost their lives, they lost the ability to fight for their own identity. Our sense of fair play is aroused by our ability to make things right after all of these years,” Lamm said. “We have a sense, I think, of paying a long overdue debt to these men. We got it wrong for over 100 years. We buried them incorrectly for over 10 decades.”

Doug Collins, U.S. secretary of veterans affairs, and Reps. Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-Fla.), Ritchie Torres (D-N.Y.) and Laura Gillen (D-N.Y.) attended the ceremonies, which were Project Benjamin’s first at Arlington National Cemetery.

Wasserman Schultz announced during her remarks that she and colleagues in the Senate and House are introducing legislation, which would authorize $500,000 per year, for a decade, to replace grave markers for Jewish American service members to represent their faith.

The legislation the members of Congress will be pursuing includes “an appropriation, so that we can make sure that over the next decade there is funding available to do the research and be able to go through the process of finding and replacing the headstones,” Wasserman Schultz told JNS.

“Identity is so incredibly important, especially for the fallen. As the ranking member of the Military Construction, VA appropriations subcommittee, honoring the entire arc of a service member’s commitment and service to our country is incredibly important, including in their death,” she said.

‘We are not rewriting history’

“As a Jew, and as a member of a community that has been persecuted for millennia, making sure that the final resting place of our fallen is honored with their identity is incredibly important not just for them but for those that come to military cemeteries and help honor them,” she told JNS.

“Particularly now, given the massive precipitous rise of antisemitism and the incredible importance of our being able to be who we are publicly, making sure that our fallen can be as well is critical,” she added.

Torres represents Deborah Berlinger Eiferman, 102, who is Moser’s niece. The congressman noted that although Hanf has no known living relatives, Eiferman’s “grace and generosity” and love extend “not only across space but across time, not only to family and friends but also strangers.”

“Private Hanf is not alone,” Torres said. “He is part of a larger Jewish family, a larger American family. All of us Jews and non-Jews alike should claim and celebrate him as our own.”

Days before Pesach, those gathered at Arlington National Cemetery were engaged in “a form of redemption,” Torres said. “A restoration of identity. A reaffirmation that these men belong to their families, to their faith and to their country, and that none of these are mutually exclusive.”

“As we approach Passover, we are redeeming ourselves by liberating the memory of these Jewish American heroes from the enslavement of an engraved error. Today, we are not rewriting history, we are rectifying it.”

Eiferman told attendees that being at the cemetery that day to unveil the new tombstone for her “baby uncle” is an “overwhelming experience.” (The whole family called him a “baby,” she said, because he only lived to 20.)

The 102-year-old said that she hopes attendees will take away from the day that going to a cemetery isn’t always an awful experience, but can be “morally justified.”

Eiferman said that her grandfather had a stroke when he heard that Moser, her uncle, had died and never spoke again thereafter. At the time, in the 1930s, wheelchairs weren’t as available as they are today, so her grandfather pushed a wooden chair with four legs around the house to get around, she said.

“This day is profound in the context of Judaism,” she said. “We were aware of the fact that for over a century, my baby uncle David, his identity as a proud Jew, was hidden. He was so patriotic.” She added that at 102, “it was a bit of a miracle from shamayim,” from heaven, “that I’m here today to give honor to my baby uncle David Moser and to my new adoptee Adolph Hanf.”

“Adolph, you’re not alone,” she said. “I’m here for you.” JNS

{Matzav.com}

The Trump administration has halted the release of over $1 billion in federal funds earmarked for Cornell University, along with $790 million intended for Northwestern University. This decision comes as a direct result of civil rights probes currently underway at both institutions.

“The money was frozen in connection with several ongoing, credible, and concerning Title VI investigations,” a Trump admin official told Fox News.

According to two administration sources who spoke to the New York Times, the funding freeze primarily targets grants and contracts from several major federal departments, including Agriculture, Defense, Education, and Health and Human Services.

This action marks the most recent effort by the Trump administration to withhold financial support from top-tier academic institutions amid concerns they are not adhering to federal anti-discrimination regulations.

{Matzav.com}

According to a report from Channel 12, Israeli Prime Minister Bibi Netanyahu was only informed on Monday—just hours before his scheduled meeting with President Donald Trump at the White House—that the United States was initiating direct negotiations with Iran over its nuclear weapons program.

The report also notes that Trump did not provide Netanyahu with any guarantees that Washington would ensure Israel’s conditions would be part of any potential agreement with Iran, nor did he promise how the U.S. would respond if the negotiations broke down or if Iran later violated the terms of an agreement.

The reason for Netanyahu’s last-minute trip to Washington, according to the report, stemmed from a message delivered by U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who told Netanyahu’s aides that the prime minister should make his way to the U.S. without delay.

Netanyahu’s staff had assumed the visit was prompted by the ongoing issue surrounding tariffs and prepared accordingly. While still in Budapest, Netanyahu addressed the media at the airport before boarding his flight to the U.S., saying: “This reflects the special personal connection and the special connection between the United States and Israel, which is so vital at this time.”

But according to the report, Netanyahu only learned the real reason for the urgent invitation when he met with Witkoff at the Blair House on Monday. Witkoff reportedly told him that the U.S. planned to launch talks with Iran that coming Saturday, and the administration didn’t want to blindside Israel by finalizing plans without its knowledge.

Shortly thereafter, Netanyahu and his delegation sat down with President Trump and his advisers at the White House. Channel 12 reports that Trump opened the meeting by asking, “What do you have to say on Iran?”

The report says Netanyahu laid out his expectations, repeating his public stance that the only acceptable agreement with Iran would resemble the Libyan model—in which nuclear infrastructure is dismantled entirely—and emphasized that military force should remain an option if necessary.

Trump reportedly responded by saying the negotiations with Iran would be given a 60-day window starting Saturday and that Witkoff would be responsible for keeping Israel updated throughout the process.

Still, the report emphasizes that Trump did not pledge to fulfill Israel’s terms for a viable agreement, nor did he commit to any course of action, including military measures, should the talks collapse or Iran breach an eventual agreement.

Channel 12 concluded its report by stating that there was “no great difference” between what the leaders discussed in private and what they later shared with the public during their joint appearance in the Oval Office.

{Matzav.com}

Senator Chuck Grassley, a Republican from Iowa, who helped draft a bipartisan proposal to rein in President Trump’s authority on trade, said Tuesday that he believes the legislative branch has surrendered too much control to the executive when it comes to trade policy.

“I made very clear throughout my public service that I’m a free and fair trader. The Constitution gives Congress the authority to regulate interstate and foreign commerce. I believe that Congress delegated too much authority to the president in the Trade Expansion Act of 1962 and Trade Act of 1974,” Grassley stated.

Despite his concerns about the extent of presidential power in trade matters, Grassley emphasized that he is in favor of the president’s broader goals. “That said, I support President Trump’s agenda to lower tariffs and non-tariff barriers other countries impose on American goods. I support President Trump’s agenda to get a better deal from China and other countries for our farmers and manufacturers,” he said.

Grassley made these remarks during a Senate Finance Committee session that featured testimony from Jamieson Greer, the U.S. Trade Representative. The hearing focused on the administration’s current trade initiatives and policy direction.

At the hearing, Grassley highlighted the Trump administration’s sweeping tariffs enacted the previous week, which included a 10 percent tariff on imports from nearly every major trading nation. He noted that these actions had prompted retaliatory measures from other countries.

Grassley expressed caution, noting he had taken a measured stance on the issue. “I’ve been very vocal in my wait and see approach to these tariffs,” he said, explaining that he believes the administration is using the tariffs as leverage to negotiate more favorable trade agreements. He added that the intention appears to be securing better terms for American producers in multiple sectors.

“My question to you is: In the medium to the long term, do you plan to turn these tariffs into trade deals to reduce tariffs and nontariff barriers?” he asked Greer. “I support that. On the other hand, if the purpose is to stall on negotiations in order to keep tariffs high for the sole purpose of feeding the U.S. Treasury, I oppose that.”

Grassley pressed further, questioning the administration’s ultimate objective. “So, is this administration for trade reciprocity or for Treasury replenishment?” he asked.

Greer responded by referencing the president’s public statements. He noted that Trump “stated very clearly that he is happy to engage in negotiations immediately with countries that believe that they can help us reduce our deficit and get rid of the nontariff barriers, and the tariffs affect that.”

Greer also clarified that the administration’s approach would vary by country. “The answer to Grassley’s question is it’s going to be country by country,” he explained.

He elaborated, saying that while some nations might not be able to fully eliminate their trade barriers or deficits, others may be more amenable to deals. “There are going to be some countries where they’re not able to address their nontariff barriers or their tariffs, or the deficit fully, and there will be others who I think will be able to do that, and where the president will have the option of making a deal with them,” Greer said. “So we’re certainly seeking reciprocity.”

Greer also acknowledged that tariffs naturally have a financial impact. He noted that the administration sees a broader benefit in reviving American industry through such measures. “But … we need to reshore manufacturing, we need to get rid of our agricultural deficit and we need to make sure that if countries are going to trade with us, it has to be on a reciprocal basis,” he said.

So far, seven Republican senators have voiced their backing for the bipartisan measure from Grassley and Democratic Senator Maria Cantwell of Washington. The proposed legislation would mandate congressional approval before any new tariffs on foreign trade partners could be imposed.

{Matzav.com}

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From Kosher.com 

Prepping for Pesach? With so much to do before Yom Tov, having a few freezer-friendly dishes ready to go can make all the difference. These five freeze-ahead favorites from Kosher.com are perfect for lightening the load without compromising on taste. Whether you’re hosting a crowd or just looking to stay one step ahead, these Pesach-friendly recipes will help you breathe a little easier—and eat a lot better.

Fork Tender Brisket

By Chanie Nayman

My mother has been making second-cut brisket with loads of onions for years. I firmly believe that with this and salad, I am good to go for a week. The most important components of this recipe are onions, salt, and a well-marbled brisket! The rest is just to add some additional layers of flavor to an already good thing. So if you have no patience for all the dehydrated spices below, you can really omit them.

Get the full recipe here: https://www.kosher.com/recipe/fork-tender-brisket-8740/

Sweet and Sour French Roast

By Fleishigs Magazine 

This roast is tender, the perfect balance of sweet and savory, a real crowd-pleaser. It tastes even better when made in advance and reheats incredibly well. Second cut brisket or top of rib work just as well. 

Get the full recipe here: https://www.kosher.com/recipe/sweet-and-sour-french-roast-8520/

Seder Ribs 

By Naomi Nachman

These sticky and sweet ribs are sure to please by shulchan orech, or even for a yummy chol hamoed dinner. Easy recipe + crowd pleaser? Check!

Get the full recipe here: https://www.kosher.com/recipe/seder-ribs/

Yom Tov Roast with Chestnut Chutney

By Brynie Greisman

A roast with sweet and savory components. The flavor is epic! The chutney adds a mélange of taste and texture. You’ll appreciate the creative presentation as well.

Get the full recipe here: https://www.kosher.com/recipe/yom-tov-roast-with-chestnut-chutney/

Pesach Chuck Eye Roast 

By Yussi Weisz

Yussi Weisz is keeping it simple but spectacular with a chuck eye roast that practically melts in your mouth.

Get the full recipe here on the latest episode of BHIS: https://www.kosher.com/recipe/pesach-chuck-eye-roast/

Explore hundreds of recipes for Pesach at https://www.kosher.com/recipes/passover/.

In her first in-depth interview since assuming the role of second lady, Usha Vance is offering a candid look at how she’s navigating life in the political spotlight, sharing that her main goal is simply staying grounded.

“To me, the highest priority right now is to be actually a normal person,” Vance, a practicing trial attorney, told The Free Press in a profile published Monday.

“Obviously,” she added, “our lives are not normal, and it feels almost absurd to say that they are.”

When asked about common misconceptions surrounding her husband, Vice President J.D. Vance, she pointed to the barrage of assumptions people make: “It’s a very strange life that we lead, where there are lots of people who have just imagined all sorts of narratives about us and what we think and what we do and why we do it and how much planning goes into it and all these sorts of things.”

As a mother of three, Vance spoke openly about the emotional toll of political life, calling it a space that often feels isolating. She noted it “can be a very lonely, lonely world not to share with someone.”

Marking a historic milestone, Vance is the first Indian American and Hindu woman to become second lady. She touched on the contrast between her background and the image often associated with supporters of President Trump, some of whom she described with a humorous tone as “blonde” and wearing “nine-inch heels.”

“I’m laughing,” Vance said, “because it would be really hard for me to be blonde.”

“That color would look totally absurd,” she said.

Vance, 39, added that despite not coming from a wealthy or style-conscious background, her experience stepping into this new world has been welcoming. “For what it’s worth, my reception into this world — and I’m not from a particularly wealthy background, not from a very fashion-oriented background personally or professionally — has been really positive,” she said.

“People don’t seem to care all that much what I look like.”

{Matzav.com}

Wall Street endured another turbulent session Tuesday, with the Dow Jones Industrial Average staging a dramatic surge early on—climbing more than 1,400 points—only to collapse later in the day as anxiety over international trade once again shook investor confidence.

The Dow initially soared by 1,146 points after the opening bell, fueled by renewed optimism that trade agreements could be reached in time to prevent harsh new tariffs slated to take effect on Wednesday.

Fueling that early enthusiasm were comments from Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, who hinted that the administration was willing to negotiate. He remarked that they could “end up with some good deals.”

President Trump reinforced that sentiment, revealing that ongoing conversations with South Korea and other nations were continuing.

Despite the initial surge, Wall Street’s rally quickly unraveled.

By the afternoon, the mood had darkened significantly. The White House revealed plans to impose an additional 50% tariff on Chinese goods—bringing the total to 104%—in retaliation for Beijing’s move to slap a 34% duty on American products.

As the dust settled, the Dow had lost 320 points, closing at 37,645. That marked a staggering drop of nearly 5,000 points since Trump’s “Liberation Day” declaration the previous Wednesday.

The S&P 500 also took a hit, closing down 1.6% at 4,983, while the Nasdaq, which is heavy on tech stocks, fell by almost 2.2% to close at 15,268.

Earlier in the day, the Nasdaq had briefly soared more than 4%—its largest intraday spike since at least 1982. The S&P 500, meanwhile, officially entered bear market territory, ending the day nearly 20% below its recent peak.

“I think the market is trying to find the bottom,” Dr. Sung Won Sohn, a finance and economics professor at Loyola Marymount University in Los Angeles, told The NY Post.

“We will see a fair amount of fluctuation — up and down, up and down, up and down — depending on the news out of the White House.”

Investor optimism was further crushed when US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer announced that the administration would not offer exemptions from the global tariffs—not for particular items, nor for individual firms.

That hardline stance effectively reversed the morning’s hopeful tone and sent markets tumbling.

Tech shares, which have been central to recent market gains, were particularly hard hit in the downturn.

Tuesday’s rollercoaster came on the heels of a similarly erratic Monday, when markets swayed between hope and despair as expected tariff reprieves failed to materialize.

“There’s no telling how long it’s going to last,” Dr. Giacomo Santangelo, an economist at Fordham University, told The Post, referring to the ongoing financial turbulence.

“As long as there are tariffs we are going to experience a negative outcome.”

Santangelo added that the broader U.S. economy would feel the sting of tariffs because “more than 70% of goods that we consume are not produced domestically while almost everything that is produced in the US is done with parts that are from countries that are now subject to prohibitive tariffs.”

“Those companies are going to suffer because their costs are going to skyrocket,” he said.

{Matzav.com}

Court documents have revealed that Ryan Wesley Routh attempted to acquire a rocket launcher from Ukraine just weeks prior to his arrest for allegedly trying to assassinate former President Donald Trump at his golf resort in Florida.

According to federal prosecutors in a motion filed Monday, the 58-year-old suspect sought to purchase military-grade weaponry from a person he thought was a Ukrainian contact with access to such arms.

In a conversation conducted over an encrypted messaging platform, Routh allegedly said, “send me an RPG [rocket-propelled grenade] or Stinger and I will see what we can do… [Trump] is not good for Ukraine.”

At a later point in the exchange, Routh reportedly asked how much the weapon would cost and whether it could be delivered directly to him, writing, “ship it to me????”

He then added, “I need equipment so that Trump cannot get elected,” according to the prosecutors’ filing.

Routh appeared to recognize the difficulty of purchasing a rocket launcher through legal channels, allegedly stating, “Going to the local store for such an item is impossible – however you are at war so those items lost and destroyed daily – one missing would not be noticed.”

Court records state that he also sent his contact a photograph of Trump’s aircraft with the caption, “he gets on and off daily.”

Prosecutors claim the message trail clearly shows Routh’s intention to assassinate Trump.

Authorities say Routh was caught on September 15 after a Secret Service agent noticed the barrel of his SKS semiautomatic rifle poking out from the bushes near Trump International Golf Club in West Palm Beach.

Before he could fire, Routh allegedly dropped his weapon and sped off in an SUV, leaving behind the rifle, two backpacks, and a GoPro camera, according to court documents.

Law enforcement officers caught up with him roughly 40 minutes later on Interstate 95 in Martin County, Florida, where he was taken into custody.

Inside his vehicle, agents discovered what they described as a stockpile of incriminating material, including handwritten notes referencing plans to fight for Ukraine, the filings state.

Routh’s defense team is currently petitioning the court to exclude certain pieces of evidence, including testimony from a witness, from being presented during his upcoming trial.

{Matzav.com}

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Rochel and Aizik never imagined that their lives would take a violent turn when they took their 3-year-old Brachi to the doctor. 

They expected to get a prescription, maybe a blood work-up. But they were sent to an urgent battery of tests which resulted in the words parents dread most of all: Little Brachi has a rare form of cancer – myeloid leukemia.  Rochel and Aizik started treatment, devoting all to their sick child and her baby brother. But the treatments did not help. 

Brachi is deteriorating fast, her anemia worsening rapidly, and her parents were helpless. Then a ray of hope came: in Michigan there is a trial treatment that includes young children, with promising results. This innovative biological treatment, though very new, has already been proved successful in adults, and now there is a chance that little Brachi might be saved. But Brachi’s young parents have no resources to fly her to the USA, much less to pay for this advanced treatment.  They both had to give all they had already, and they can’t afford this venture. Broken hearted, they must turn to you! Help Rochel and Aizik save their little girl – they cannot do it without our help!

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In an unexpected change of plans, the Vizhnitzer Rebbe of Bnei Brak, Rav Yisroel Hager, will not be returning to Eretz Yisroel for Pesach, as originally scheduled. Instead, due to a significant decline in his strength, the Rebbe will remain in Los Angeles for the duration of Yom Tov.

An official statement released today by the Vizhnitzer court explained: “In light of the significant weakness that has affected the Rebbe shlit”a in recent days, and following a hospital visit, the doctors have ruled that he should not travel at this time. Therefore, it has been decided that the Rebbe will remain in Los Angeles, hosted at the home of the chassid and philanthropist Reb Binyomin Einhorn. The public is urged to continue davening for the Rebbe’s recovery and renewed strength.”

The Rebbe was initially slated to return to Israel this Thursday in time for Yom Tov, and preparations had been underway in the Vizhnitzer court for his arrival. The news of the cancellation has sent waves through the Chassidus, as it is exceptionally rare for the Rebbe not to spend Pesach in his beis medrash in Bnei Brak.

All are asked to continue davening for Rav Yisroel ben Leah Esther.

{Matzav.com Israel}

Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir is expected to travel to the United States for an informal visit shortly after the conclusion of Pesach. Representing the Otzma Yehudit party, Ben-Gvir is slated to meet with officials from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and to engage with members of the American Jewish community. While no formal invitation was extended by the Trump team, the visit has received their stamp of approval.

This visit represents a notable departure from previous American policy. Under President Biden, Ben-Gvir was diplomatically marginalized due to his former ties with the banned Kach organization, which is classified as a terrorist group. In late 2024, the State Department criticized Ben-Gvir for visiting the grave of Rabbi Meir Kahane, the movement’s founder, issuing a harsh statement: “Celebrating the legacy of a terrorist and a terrorist organization is abhorrent. We strongly condemn any attempt to glorify acts of terror.”

The green light from the Trump administration seems to signal an effort to keep communication lines open with top Israeli figures. Observers believe this may be motivated by a desire not to complicate ongoing or future negotiations—whether they involve hostages or diplomatic overtures with countries like Saudi Arabia.

Roughly three years ago, the U.S. officially removed Kach from its list of foreign terrorist organizations. The group, which was led by Meir Kahane until his assassination in 1990, was banned in Israel after Baruch Goldstein, a follower of the movement, carried out a deadly attack at the Me’aras HaMachpelah in 1994. Although Kach has been labeled “dormant” since 2005, a 2019 exposé by Yediot Achronot revealed that former activists—Ben-Gvir among them—continued to operate in various ways.

After Israel’s 2022 election, U.S. officials debated whether Ben-Gvir should be denied entry, particularly if he attempted to visit in his capacity as a cabinet minister. His last trip to the U.S. was in 1988, which he says was a family visit, and he has not applied for a visa since. With a past conviction for incitement to terrorism, any application might have faced serious scrutiny or even a denial. At one point, the Biden administration weighed placing sanctions on Ben-Gvir, though this idea was ultimately shelved.

{Matzav.com Israel}

A federal judge ruled on Tuesday that the Biden administration must reinstate the Associated Press’ inclusion in the presidential press pool, granting the news organization access once again to exclusive venues such as Air Force One, where only select members of the press are allowed to engage with President Trump.

U.S. District Judge Trevor McFadden of Washington, D.C. — who was appointed to the bench by Trump in 2017 — issued a temporary delay on the enforcement of his ruling. This pause, which lasts five days, gives the White House until Sunday to seek a higher court’s intervention.

The Associated Press had been excluded from pool coverage after declining to adopt the term “Gulf of America” in its reporting, a name President Trump had assigned to the Gulf of Mexico.

{Matzav.com}

Another significant win for Trump 2.0…

President Trump and Elon Musk’s DOGE crew racked up another SCOTUS win on Tuesday as the nation’s highest court blocked a lower court ruling ordering the administration to rehire thousands of federal employees.

The vote was 7 to 2. Justices Sonia Sotomayor and Ketanji Brown Jackson would have kept the firings paused while the case played out in the lower courts.

From NPR:

The court’s narrow ruling applies only to the nonprofits in Tuesday’s lawsuit, and it did not decide on the case as a whole. Nonetheless, the court’s decision makes it more difficult for groups affected by government layoffs to challenge mass firings systematically.

In that sense, the court’s action is a victory for the Trump administration and its effort to dramatically shrink federal agencies and programs, concentrating executive power in the White House.

Turning Point USA founder Charlie Kirk called the decision a big win for Trump 2.0.

“Two big SCOTUS wins in two days! The Court just overturned another far-left lower court order, this one an attempt to force the rehiring of 16,000 terminated federal employees. Trump is winning and DOGE is winning,” Kirk said on X.

Watch the clip of CNN reporting the news below:

 

 

The Israeli High Court of Justice has issued a temporary order mandating that Ronen Bar remain in his role as head of the Shin Bet for the time being, as the government and the attorney general’s office work toward resolving the legal controversy surrounding his planned removal.

Along with its ruling, the court has formally proposed that both the government and the attorney general try to reach a mutual understanding on the issue and has given them until April 20, the day following the end of Passover, to come to terms.

During the court proceedings, Cabinet Secretary Yossi Fuchs, along with officials representing the Attorney General’s Office, appeared open to engaging in discussions on how to move forward. This came after Justice Noam Sohlberg put forth the idea of referring the dispute to the advisory committee that oversees senior civil service appointments to obtain its input.

The justices also instructed the government that it must refrain from taking any steps to oust Bar while the interim order remains active. This includes avoiding any announcement of a replacement and ensuring that Bar’s authority as the head of the Shin Bet is not compromised, nor should there be any alterations in how the agency interacts with the government.

{Matzav.com Israel}

The Trump administration is working toward an arrangement with Iran that would let the country keep a civilian nuclear energy program, according to a report by i24NEWS on Tuesday evening. The outlet cited an individual familiar with the negotiations.

“Iran will be able to maintain a civilian nuclear program for electricity production, such as the reactor in Bushehr, even if it has to completely dismantle its nuclear [weapons] program,” the source stated.

According to the same source, “Trump said that Iran will not have nuclear weapons; military nuclear facilities no, but civilian nuclear yes. Therefore, even if the facilities that contain the centrifuges and enable uranium enrichment have to be destroyed, Iran will be able to retain a civilian nuclear program.”

Officials from Israel told i24NEWS that there is little likelihood that Tehran will agree to a deal modeled after the one that led to the disarmament of Libya’s nuclear program.

In a separate development, President Donald Trump announced yesterday that the United States plans to launch direct negotiations with Iran regarding its nuclear weapons ambitions over the coming weekend, during a meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

“We are having direct talks with Iran. On Saturday we will have a very big meeting and we will see what can happen. I think everybody agrees that a deal would be preferable to doing the obvious, and the obvious is not something that I want to be involved with, or frankly that anyone here wants to be involved with,” Trump said. He warned of escalating tensions, saying, “The situation is getting to be very dangerous territory. Hopefully, those talks will be successful, and I think it would be in Iran’s best interests if they are.”

As he wrapped up his trip to Washington, Netanyahu emphasized his shared stance with Trump that Iran must never acquire nuclear arms. “This can be done by agreement, but only if this agreement is Libyan style: They go in, blow up the installations, dismantle all of the equipment, under American supervision and carried out by America – this would be good.”

Netanyahu added, “The second possibility, that will not be, is that they drag out the talks and then there is the military option. Everyone understands this. We spoke about this at length.”

{Matzav.com}

Hamas’ official media outlets have issued statements labeling Jewish religious activities on the Har Habayis as a desecration of the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound.

In a message shared via the group’s Telegram channel, Hamas reiterated that Islamic teachings consider the entire area of the Har Habayis to be “an indivisible component of the Al-Aqsa Mosque.” As such, “any Jewish presence or religious observance at the site”—particularly korbanos, or offerings—is viewed as a “profound breach of the sanctity of the location.”

The message further pointed to past Jewish religious practices—such as shofar blowing on Rosh Hashanah, taking the arba minim during Sukkos, kneeling and bowing, and bringing sacred objects into the site—as “calculated efforts,” in Hamas’ view, “to disrupt the long-standing status quo.”

Hamas went on to assert that even a “symbolic sacrificial act,” like the bringing of a symbolic Korban Pesach, on the Har Habayis would, in their opinion, “symbolically transform Al-Aqsa into a Temple,” thus laying the groundwork for what they described as a broader plan to construct the Third Bais Hamikdosh. The group warned that the first phase of this alleged plan would involve dividing areas of worship at the site—comparable to the current arrangement at the Meoras Hamachpeilah—followed by actual construction.

It should be noted that all leading poskim of this and previous generations have said that it is halachically forbidden to go on to the Har Habayis today.

{Matzav.com Israel}

Donald Trump has made good on his promise to impose “additional 50 percent tariffs” on Chinese imports starting Wednesday. According to a White House announcement, this move pushes the total U.S. tariff rate on Chinese goods to a staggering 104 percent, a level never seen before.

Trump had issued an ultimatum to China, demanding it reverse the 34 percent retaliatory tariff it had slapped on American exports within a 24-hour window. If Beijing didn’t comply, he warned, Chinese imports would face massive penalties. China defied the warning, and by day’s end, Trump followed through with his threat.

Until recently, Chinese goods faced a 10 percent tariff when entering the U.S., a rate Trump claimed had “robbed and ripped off” the American economy of untold billions. That changed when the president unveiled his “reciprocal tariff” strategy — a policy under which the U.S. would impose tariffs that mirrored, or partially mirrored, those of other countries. With China’s new 34 percent levy on U.S. products, Trump matched it with an additional 34 percent on Chinese goods, raising their total tariff burden to 44 percent.

Shortly after the president’s latest move, the White House revealed that the U.S. would also be levying a 10 percent non-reciprocal tariff on all imports from other nations. Officials said the purpose of the broader surcharge was to bolster the U.S. federal reserves. Meanwhile, the total duties applied to Chinese goods jumped to 54 percent.

With the newest hike targeting only China, the tariff rate on its exports to the U.S. now stands at an extraordinary 104 percent — nearly double what it was just days ago. Still, Trump indicated that a diplomatic resolution was not out of the question. On Truth Social, he wrote, “China also wants to make a deal, badly, but they don’t know how to get it started. We are waiting for their call.”

In the hours before the latest escalation, Beijing had pushed back against Trump’s demand that it abandon its retaliatory tariffs, calling the move a form of coercion.

“The US threat to escalate tariffs against China is a mistake on top of a mistake, which once again exposes the US’s blackmailing nature,” China’s commerce ministry said in a statement, adding that “If the US insists on having its way, China will fight to the end.”

As the trade conflict between the two economic superpowers intensifies, global markets are caught in the crossfire. With neither side showing signs of backing down, investors are witnessing the most significant market downturn since the early days of the COVID-19 crisis.

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The organization StopAntisemitism has urged New York Attorney General Pam Bondi to launch an investigation into a popular YouTube personality who has come under fire for allegedly promoting narratives aligned with Hamas, according to the New York Post.

Rachel Griffin Accurso, widely known as Ms. Rachel, has gained massive popularity through her children’s content series, Songs for Littles, and has even drawn comparisons to Mr. Rogers. In recent months, however, she has made several social media posts referencing supposed child casualties in Gaza amid the ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas.

According to StopAntisemitism, Ms. Rachel has echoed casualty figures and other information originating from Hamas sources—claims which, the organization asserts, have been either disproven or questioned by Israeli officials. The group is calling for Bondi to determine whether the content creator received compensation in exchange for sharing “Hamas-like propagated images and stories.”

In a formal appeal to the attorney general, Liora Rez, director of StopAntisemitism, wrote, “Given the vast sums of foreign funds that have been directed toward propagandizing our young people on college campuses, we suspect there is a similar dynamic in the online influencer space.”

Rez further emphasized, “We urge you and your office to investigate whether or not Ms. Rachel is being remunerated to disseminate Hamas-aligned propaganda to her millions of followers, as this may violate the Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA).”

The group also pointed out that while Ms. Rachel has repeatedly highlighted the suffering of Palestinian children, she has remained silent on the trauma endured by Israeli children. They specifically mentioned the Kfir brothers, who were kidnapped from their home—one just nine months old—and were later murdered by their abductors.

Following backlash to her commentary after the October 7 attacks, Ms. Rachel issued a statement saying, “I care deeply for all children. Palestinian children, Israeli children, children in the US – Muslim, Jewish, Christian children – all children, in every country. Not one is excluded.”

{Matzav.com}

Israeli Prime Minister Bibi Netanyahu wrapped up his official trip to Washington and delivered a statement just before boarding his return flight to Israel.

Reflecting on his time in the U.S. capital and his meeting with President Donald Trump, Netanyahu described the encounter as “very warm” and highlighted the key matters addressed during their discussions.

He stated, “I am now completing my second visit to the US in two months. This was a very warm visit with my friend President Donald Trump. You could feel the great closeness and friendship between us and it was expressed in the topics we discussed.”

Iran dominated the agenda, according to Netanyahu. He explained, “We agree that Iran will not have nuclear weapons. This can be done by agreement, but only if that agreement is a Libyan-style agreement. When you come in, you blow up the facilities, dismantle all the equipment, under US supervision and with US implementation – that’s good. The second possibility is that it won’t be. Let them just drag out the talks, and then the option is military. Everyone understands this. We discussed this at length.”

Turning to Gaza, Netanyahu emphasized Israel’s dual goals there. “We are determined to eliminate Hamas, and at the same time we are determined to bring all our hostages back home. The President looked at me and said to the reporters there: ‘This man is working all the time to free the hostages.’ I hope that by doing so, he has shattered the lie that is being frequently spread in the news that I don’t do what I need to do for them, that I don’t care. I care, and I’m doing it, and we’ll succeed as well.”

He also touched on behind-the-scenes discussions regarding the future of Gaza. “We talked about President Trump’s vision, because we are currently in contact with countries that are talking about the possibility of accepting many Gazans. It’s important, because in the end, that’s what it should be.”

The subject of Turkish involvement in Syria also came up. Netanyahu remarked, “Turkey wants to establish military bases in Syria and that is a danger to Israel. We oppose it, we are working against it. I told President Trump, who is a friend of mine, and also a friend of Erdoğan: ‘If we need your help, we’ll talk to you about it.'”

On the matter of commerce between Israel and the U.S., Netanyahu noted President Trump’s stance and Israel’s willingness to act. “President Trump asked the countries to reduce their trade deficit with the US to zero. I told him: ‘It’s not that hard for us. We’ll do it.’ That is the least we can do for the US and the President who has done so much for us.”

Netanyahu ended his statement with a positive assessment of the trip: “It was a very good visit, a very warm visit, and there are other things you will hear about later.”

{Matzav.com Israel}

Israeli special forces apprehended Mahmoud al-Bana, a high-priority target in Judea and Samaria, during an operation in Shechem on Tuesday.

Al-Bana, who was once a prominent figure in the “Lions’ Den” terror group, had previously turned himself over to the Palestinian Authority, which later released him from custody.

As reported by Galai Tzahal (IDF Radio), Israeli security officials stated that when troops attempted to detain al-Bana, he made an effort to flee. In response, the soldiers shot at his legs, injuring him and allowing for his immediate capture.

Footage shared on Arab social media platforms shows that the mission was executed by undercover operatives posing as Palestinian civilians. The team used a vehicle marked as belonging to the Palestinian Authority, enabling them to take al-Bana by surprise and swiftly detain him.

{Matzav.com Israel}