Matzav

It is with great sadness that Matzav.com reports the passing of Rabbi Dr. Raymond Harari z”l. Rabbi Harari’s legacy as an educator, mentor, and leader endures, leaving an indelible mark on thousands of lives, both within his community and far beyond.

 

A devoted alumnus of Yeshivah of Flatbush (class of 1972), Rabbi Harari earned his Bachelor’s in Philosophy and a Master’s in Jewish Studies from Yeshiva University. His lifelong commitment to the Torah U’madah approach, integrating Torah scholarship with secular knowledge, guided his teaching and administrative roles.

Rabbi Harari spent a transformative year in Israel before returning to fulfill his aspiration of joining the faculty at Yeshivah of Flatbush Joel Braverman High School (JBHS), where he began as a Judaic Studies teacher. His dedication quickly propelled him to the position of Chairman of the Halacha Department, and later to his role as a beloved administrator and eventually Head of School.

Throughout his decades-long tenure, Rabbi Harari’s devotion, wisdom, and vision helped propel JBHS to new heights. He was instrumental in enhancing the curriculum with a vast range of Torah classes, fostering chesed programs, expanding electives, and cultivating co-curricular initiatives, all aimed at nurturing well-rounded, thoughtful young adults grounded in Jewish values. His student-centered approach and unique ability to bridge Torah and secular knowledge exemplified his lifelong dedication to chinuch, inspiring all who were privileged to learn from him.

Rabbi Harari is survived by his wife, Vicky, and his children: Michal Geffner, Yael Harari, Rabbi Avi Harari, Dr. David Harari, and Dani Harari. He is also survived by his siblings, David Harari and Renee Maman, and was predeceased by his brother, Sol Harari z”l.

The levayah took place today at Yeshivah of Flatbush Joel Braverman High School on Avenue J in Brooklyn. The kevurah will take place at the Eretz Hachaim Bais Hachaim in Eretz Yisroel. Shivah will be observed at 335 Euclid Avenue in Loch Arbour, NJ.

Yehi zichro boruch.

{Matzav.com}

Watch UN Watch’s Hillel Neuer describe UNRWA’s connections with terrorism.

On Wednesday a Chabad school in Kyiv, Ukraine suffered “significant structural damage” following a Russian drone attack.

Israel’s Ambassador to Ukraine, Michael Brodsky, confirmed the strike occurred, along with local authorities.  The drone attack damaged the Perlina school, part of the Or Avner Chabad educational network.

Baruch Hashem no one was injured inside the school, however 9 people were injured in a nearby  multistory residential building, according to the Kyiv Military Administration.

A statement released by Chabbad described “extensive damage” in “classrooms, the school shuttle, and the student lounge” due to the “direct hit.”  However, “The school’s reinforced windows, equipped with protective film, prevented further harm to the interior of the structure,” Chabbad explained.

Following the attack, former boxing world champion Vitalyi Klitschko, the current Mayor of Kyiv, visited the school along with Rabbi Yonason Markovitch, the Chabbad chief Rabbi of Kyiv, and his wife.

Upon inspection of the attack site, a piece of the drone could be seen lying in the school’s outdoor playground, where hundreds of children often play.

In the residential building hit nearby by the explosion, multiple floors were burned and destroyed.

Several floors of the nearby residential building hit by the explosion were partially burned and destroyed.

Rabbi Markovitch said it was a “tremendous miracle” that students were not in the building at the time of the attack and vowed his commitment to keep the school open. “Just as the school has remained operational throughout the war, so too will we continue to nurture our children’s souls, even in these challenging times,” he said.

{Matzav.com} 

Toddlers whose speech is delayed also tend to exhibit impaired fine-motor skills, according to a new study of 54 American and Israeli children, ages 24 to 36 months, which was published in the American Journal of Speech-Language Pathology.

The lead study author, Shari DeVeney, a speech-language pathologist and professor at the University of Nebraska at Omaha, told JNS that she and her colleagues opted to study American and Israeli toddlers because they speak such different languages.

“The comparison between English and Hebrew was an interesting one, as these languages are so dissimilar across linguistic form domains including their associated speech sounds (phonology), rules for word construction (morphology) and rules for sentence structure (syntax),” she said.

Distinct U.S. and Israeli cultures also “provided a wonderful opportunity to explore ways in which early skill development could be shaped by cultural-environmental influences,” DeVeney told JNS.

She added that there is limited data available to researchers about the development of language skills and behavior in toddlers. “Since we had already established connections between our research teams in both countries, this seemed like a strong foundation for reliable data collection and analysis to examine the universality of the relationship between these important developmental domains,” she said.

DeVeney and her four co-authors—who are on the faculty at Bar-Ilan University and at the Levinsky-Wingate Academic College in Tel Aviv—sought to exclude toddlers who appeared likely to have autism, or other developmental disorders, from the study group. Of the 54 toddlers they studied, 16 were American English-speakers and 38 were Israeli Hebrew-speakers, and 23 of the 54 had language delays.

“We purposely wanted to study toddlers, who were unlikely to be later diagnosed with autism so that we could better determine the early relationship between motor and language domains in relative isolation and without the possible confounding influence of more global domain deficits like those associated with autism,” she said.

The most surprising finding for DeVeney and her colleagues was the “differences in skills and task performance across participants in the two countries.”

“We were not really expecting to find many cross-cultural differences. However, we found that our participants from the Israeli sample had better fine-motor skills than our participants from the American sample,” she told JNS, “further, that our American participants had overall higher error rates and were slower to perform the non-symmetrical block insertion task associated with our study than our Israeli participants.”

The researchers asked the toddlers to insert wooden blocks, which were not symmetrical and required rotation for correct positioning, into their correct slots on a larger block, or “shape sorter.” The toddlers were called upon to achieve 12 correct insertions per visit, across three sessions with the same non-symmetrical shape, and a different “transfer” with a new asymmetrical shape. (All the trials took place in their homes.)

The scholars don’t want to overstate the findings in a “relatively-small sampling of toddler participants, particularly our U.S. sample,” DeVeney told JNS. “But they certainly would be interesting to explore further.”

The differences between U.S. and Israeli toddlers in the study might be due to “parenting styles, early childcare environments and degree of participation in daycare outside of the home,” DeVeney told JNS.

“It’s hard to say at this time exactly what influenced the differences, but hopefully through more research we can begin to better understand why the differences were observed, and if these differences continue to be observed in other studies,” she said.

“By comparing these two linguistically and culturally different groups of toddlers, we hope to show how environmental factors may be related to early development and eventually offer insights into types of activities and interventions that could be most effective in different contexts,” DeVeney added.

Children learn new skills, including motor movements, at uneven paces, according to DeVeney. At first, they improve at a rapid clip, but as time goes on, they need to practice more to continue improving.

“This happens because the brain takes time to fully store the new skill, often showing better results hours or even a day after practice,” she told JNS. “This process also helps with learning language.”

Young kids with developmental language disorder “have trouble learning new motor skills and do not remember them as well as their peers,” she said. “In fact, many of them are slower to learn things like crawling, for example, compared to other children their age.”

Difficulty with a type of recall called “procedural memory” may account for that, according to DeVeney.

Procedural memory “helps us learn skills through practice, like riding a bike or learning how to speak accurately,” she said. “This memory system is important for both motor and language development. Researchers found that children with developmental language disorder often have differences in a part of the brain called the ‘basal ganglia,’ which helps with learning skills through repetition.”

JNS asked DeVeney what parents and educators ought to take away from the new research that she and her colleagues published.

“In our study we found that 2-year-olds, even with different language abilities, can learn a motor task like placing non-symmetrical blocks into corresponding slots,” she said. “But children with weaker language skills may have more trouble transferring what they learn to new contexts, which is similar to challenges seen in older children with language difficulties and supports the idea that language and motor skills are closely connected.”

A young child who has difficulty with either motor or language skills should be evaluated for both, DeVeney said.

“Since early motor delays might be linked to late talking, it’s important to develop new ways to teach and support young children,” she told JNS. “Parents, teachers and professionals can use these strategies to help children grow in both areas.”

(JNS)

Former President Donald Trump was greeted at a Wisconsin airport Wednesday by a “big, beautiful MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN Garbage Truck.”

“How do you like my garbage truck?” Trump, who was wearing an orange safety vest, asked reporters while sitting in the passenger seat of the MAGA-adorned garbage truck cruising around the tarmac.

“This truck is in honor of Kamala and Joe Biden.”

WATCH HERE.

According to a clip aired on CNN of a virtual call with Latino voters on Tuesday, President Joe Biden said that “the only garbage I see floating out there is his supporters—his demonization of Latinos is unconscionable, and it’s un-American.”

The White House then released a statement Tuesday evening seeking to clarify Biden’s comments.

“The President referred to the hateful rhetoric at the Madison Square Garden rally as garbage,” White House spokesperson Andrew Bates said.

Francesca Albanese, the U.N. special rapporteur on Palestinian rights whose antisemitic statements have been widely criticized, is stateside on a tour of college campuses presenting her latest report that accuses the Jewish state of genocide.

The U.N. adviser, whom the global body considers an “independent expert,” was slated to brief staffers in Congress on Tuesday, but that meeting was canceled abruptly.

“As U.N. special rapporteur Albanese visits New York, I want to reiterate the U.S. belief she is unfit for her role,” Linda Thomas-Greenfield, the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, stated on Tuesday. “The United Nations should not tolerate antisemitism from a U.N.-affiliated official hired to promote human rights.”

Albanese is scheduled to present her report to the United Nations on Wednesday, and her speaking tour itinerary includes Georgetown University, Princeton University, Barnard College, City University of New York and the New School.

JNS sought comment multiple times from Princeton’s School of Public and International Affairs, which hosted Albanese on Tuesday. Barnard directed JNS to a statement it issued defending the school’s invitation to Albanese and stating that its “educational mission depends on the exploration of challenging ideas” and hosting Albanese “does not constitute institutional endorsement.”

“Given her long track record of blatant antisemitic rhetoric and open hatred for Israel, U.N. special rapporteur Francesca Albanese must be deemed a persona non grata in all halls of power,” the Combat Antisemitism Movement stated. The Anti-Defamation League added, “How can someone who engages in antisemitism be trusted to promote human rights?”

“The latest report by Francesca Albanese is a gross perversion of history, weaponizing Holocaust comparisons to demonize Israel while ignoring the terror of Hamas. This inflammatory rhetoric must be confronted,” the World Jewish Congress stated. “United Nations, it’s time to stop platforming antisemitism.”

Albanese wrote on Thursday that she is “deeply disappointed that various Western governments and diplomats appear to have been misled by spurious, recycled allegations against me, just as I prepare to present my latest report to the U.N. General Assembly next week.”

“I am profoundly committed to human rights for all people—how could I ever be an antisemite? Critique of Israel’s actions and policies does not render one antisemitic, especially as Israel continues to commit atrocities without respite,” she wrote. “If these governments are truly committed to international law, they ought to focus not on false claims made about me, but on ending the illegal and catastrophic situation in occupied Palestine.”

“Nobody is misled, Francesca Albanese,” said Anthony Housefather, a member of the Canadian Parliament and the country’s special advisor on Jewish community relations and antisemitism. “You continue to use antisemitic tropes and do so repeatedly. These statements make you completely unfit for the office you hold, and Canada, the United States and France were absolutely correct in calling you out on what you have said.”

The anti-Israel activist Medea Benjamin, co-founder of Code Pink, stated on Tuesday that reports in Jewish news media are to blame for calling attention to Albanese’s scheduled briefing of congressional staff.

Last week, Jewish Insider reported that Rep. Andre Carson (D-Ind.) had issued the invitation. That led “higher ups” calling Carson, which made the latter “get scared” and cancel the briefing, Benjamin claimed.

Albanese has a growing record of antisemitic rhetoric, including comparing Israel to Nazi Germany, posting on social media about Israeli “blood lust” and stating that a “Jewish lobby” controls the United States. The French and German governments condemented her past comments, including denying that Jew-hatred played a role in Hamas’s Oct. 7, 2023 terror attack in southern Israel.

Other senior U.S. diplomats beyond Thomas-Greenfield—including Michele Taylor, Washington’s ambassador to the U.N. Human Rights Council, and Deborah Lipstadt, the State Department’s antisemitism envoy—have denounced Albanese’s antisemitism repeatedly.

After Israeli forces killed Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar, Albanese stated that the terrorist and Oct. 7 attack mastermind died “in a way that is quite inhumane.”

Hillel Neuer, executive director of U.N. Watch, issued a report ahead of Albanese’s trip referring to her as a “wolf in sheep’s clothing.”

“Her rhetoric is getting more and more wild,” Neuer told JNS, noting that Albanese repeated the debunked assertion that Israel bombed a Gazan hospital in the early days of the war, killing hundreds. Evidence quickly and definitively revealed far less damage and many fewer casualties than Hamas had reported initially, and it proved that errant rocket fire from Gaza—and not an Israeli attack—was to blame.

“She’s spreading every wild lie. Of course, releasing the genocide libel is exactly that. It’s a blood libel. It’s a danger,” Neuer said. “She is fueling attacks on Jews all around the world, who invoke her reports to attack Jews.”

Neuer told JNS that the United States should have never granted Albanese a visa to visit. “She should be removed from the country,” he said.

“It’s absurd the United States would have its ambassador to the United Nations saying that she’s fomenting antisemitism, their ambassador to the Human Rights Council in Geneva, their special envoy combating antisemitism, the State Department in their own statements condemning her repeatedly for antisemitism, for racism, and then to open doors to her,” Neuer told JNS.

Many countries have denied visas to applicants on the grounds of antisemitism. Australia rejected an application recently from antisemitic American podcaster Candace Owens.

JNS asked Matthew Miller, the U.S. State Department spokesman, during the department’s Tuesday briefing whether Foggy Bottom takes antisemitic comments into account when it weighs visa applicants.

“We have an obligation as the host country for the United Nations,” Miller told JNS. “We take that obligation very seriously, and one of those obligations is to grant visas to any number of individuals with views with which we do not agree.”

“The Russian foreign minister travels to New York to participate in United Nations meetings,” Miller said. “That is our obligation as the host of the United Nations, and it’s one that we take seriously.”

Albanese is currently under investigation by a U.N. committee of her peers—who had rejected the pending accusations against her before helming the investigation—that she misused U.N. funds during a November 2023 trip to Australia and New Zealand.

During the trip, she spoke at a fundraiser for a Hamas-aligned pro-Palestinian lobby group and pushed for a New Zealand sovereign wealth fund to divest from Israel, among other violations of U.N. policy.

Questions about who funded the trip remain unanswered after a Hamas-aligned lobbying group initially announced its “sponsorship” of Albanese’s trip.

After months of inquiries, the United Nations told JNS that it paid for the trip, although it has yet to provide any documentation to back up that claim. JNS has sought comment repeatedly from multiple U.N. offices tied to the investigation.

(JNS)

In his first speech since being appointed Hezbollah leader earlier this week, Naim Qassem vowed to continue the path of his slain predecessor Hassan Nasrallah, he declared on Wednesday.

“I start with a verse from the holy Quran which guides us and points out what happened with the Jews throughout history,” said Qassem, according to a translation by Lebanon’s L’Orient Le Jour daily.

“The Almighty said they will only inflict harm on you. And if they fight you, they will not be victorious. There will be harm inflicted. Great sacrifices will be made. However, in the end, they will flee, and victory will be for the faithful,” he continued.

“What is my plan? A continuation of my predecessor’s. We will carry on with the war program as it has been outlined so far.”

Nasrallah, who was killed in an Israeli strike on Sept. 27 after heading the Iranian-backed terrorist group for more than 30 years, remains “the symbol of the resistance and the beloved of resistance fighters,” he said.

Qassem in his address also paid tribute to the slain head of Hezbollah’s executive council, Hashem Safieddine, as well as Palestinian Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar, who he said had “resisted until his last breath.”

The newly-minted Lebanese terrorist leader thanked Hezbollah “for placing its trust in me for this heavy responsibility.”

During Qassem’s speech, Israeli Air Force jets began attacking targets in the Baalbek region of northern Lebanon, several hours after issuing an evacuation warning to residents of the area, according to local reports.

According to the terrorist, the region is facing an “American, European and global war aimed at ending resistance and our peoples.” He said that supporting Gaza was “essential to confront the Israeli threat to the entire region, and because the people of Gaza needed to be supported.”

He went on to say that “Iran supports us in our project and asks for nothing in return.”

Commenting on the Oct. 19 suicide drone assault on Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s Caesarea residence, Qassem stated: “The resistance has reached Netanyahu’s bedroom, and our diplomatic communications have confirmed that he is scared; perhaps his time hasn’t come yet, but he could very well be killed by an Israeli youth.”

Qassem, who had served as deputy secretary general of Hezbollah since 1991, was elected its new leader on Tuesday.

A recent report in the UAE-based Erem News, quoting an Iranian source, claimed that Qassem left Beirut on Oct. 5 for Damascus, before flying to Tehran. He was reportedly aboard the plane used by Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi for a state visit to Lebanon and Syria.

“The transfer of Naim Qassem to Tehran was by order of the higher authorities in Iran for fear of being assassinated by the Israeli entity, because he is on the list of wanted,” the Iranian source said.

The first address Qassem delivered after Nasrallah’s assassination was delivered in Beirut, while the second and third speeches were delivered from the Islamic Republic, according to the source.

Responding to Qassem’s new role, Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant tweeted on Tuesday, “Temporary appointment. Not for long.”

(JNS)

The draft truce deal between Yerushalayim and Beirut calls for a withdrawal of Israel Defense Forces from Southern Lebanon within seven days but leaves room for defensive moves against re-emerging threats, Israel’s Kan News public broadcaster reported on Wednesday.

The eight-page draft document, which was published in full by Kan on Wednesday night, has been presented to Israel’s political echelons by U.S. presidential envoy Amos Hochstein, according to the broadcaster.

The United States, alongside other unspecified countries as well as the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL), will supervise the implementation of the deal, which calls for the withdrawal of Hezbollah and other terror groups from Southern Lebanon within 60 days after signing.

The government in Beirut will supervise any arms sales to Lebanese organizations or weapons production, the preliminary outline adds.

The draft deal states that “Israel and Lebanon recognize the importance of UNSCR 1701 to achieving lasting peace and security and commit to taking steps toward its full implementation,” in reference to the U.N. Security Council resolution that ended the 2006 Second Lebanon War.

Following the conclusion of the 60-day truce, Washington—working in tandem with the United Nations and the international community—will facilitate indirect talks with the goal of reaching “full implementation of UNSCR 1701 and resolving the outstanding disputed points on the Blue Line.”

While the agreement aims to “improve life for civilians on both sides of the Blue Line” (the de facto border), the draft agreement only mentions “international efforts to support capacity-building and economic development throughout Lebanon to advance stability and prosperity.”

Responding to the Kan News report, Sean Savett, a spokesman for the U.S. National Security Council, noted that “there are many reports and drafts circulating. They do not reflect the current state of negotiations.”

‘The ball is now in Netanyahu’s court’

Yerushalayim has escalated attacks on Iranian-backed Hezbollah since adding the safe return home of some 60,000 residents evacuated from towns along Israel’s northern border to its official war goals on Sept. 17.

Hezbollah has been committing near-daily rocket, missile and drone attacks against the Jewish state since Oct. 8, 2023, a day after Gaza’s Hamas led a mass invasion of southern Israel, murdering some 1,200 people, kidnapping 251 others and committing widespread atrocities.

Lebanon’s MTV outlet reported on Wednesday that Hezbollah informed Nabih Berri, Speaker of Lebanon’s Parliament and an ally of the terror organization, that Hezbollah agrees to a ceasefire “in Lebanon” and the “full and comprehensive implementation” of Resolution 1701.

For his part, Berri told local media on Wednesday that “points related to the ceasefire, the deployment of the army and the implementation of U.N. resolution 1701 have been completed, and we are awaiting Hochstein’s understanding with Netanyahu.”

He added: “We are not willing to change the text of Resolution 1701, not a single letter. The ball is now in Netanyahu’s court.”

Earlier on Wednesday, newly minted Hezbollah leader Naim Qassem vowed to continue the “war program” of his slain predecessor, Hassan Nasrallah. Commenting on the Oct. 19 drone assault on Israeli Prime Minister Bibi Netanyahu’s home, he warned: “The resistance has reached Netanyahu’s bedroom, and our diplomatic communications have confirmed that he is scared; perhaps his time hasn’t come yet.”

“I start with a verse from the holy Quran which guides us and points out what happened with the Jews throughout history,” stated the terrorist leader, according to a translation by local media. “The Almighty said they will only inflict harm on you. And if they fight you, they will not be victorious. There will be harm inflicted. Great sacrifices will be made. However, in the end, they will flee, and victory will be for the faithful.”

(JNS)

Only days away from the November 5th Presidential election, new signs supporting former President Trump have begun to appear in Frum communities.

The signs match the branding of similar pro-Trump signs around the US, and feature “Trump” in large letters, along with the phrase “Good for the Jews” in Hebrew.   In smaller letters at the bottom of the sign, the words “Yidden for Trump” are written, along with the phrase “Stop Kvetching, Start Voting,” transliterated with Hebrew letters.

The signs originally began appearing in the Frum community of Teaneck, NJ, and have now began spreading to additional Frum neighborhoods.

A man named Gavriel is spearheading the effort for these signs, and he describes widespread support for Trump, saying: “I have personally knocked at more than one hundred doors in the neighborhood, and just about everyone eagerly wanted the signs. Many even asked for additional signs for their friends.

While this may not be a statistically exact polling, the overall sentiment is very clear. The community overwhelmingly favors President Trump.”

Gavriel also added that some Trump supporters he speaks with are former Democrats, saying:  “I got to chat with some of the residents who shared with me that while they traditionally voted Democrat, this time it’s different. ‘Today’s Democrat Party is not the party of their parents,’ they are saying. They tell me the antisemitism is out in the open and the support for Israel has been turned on its head. They are frightened.”

While a majority of Jews in the US support the Democratic party overall, in the Frum community, two-thirds of voters favor Republicans, according to Pew Research.

Following the Hamas attacks on October 7th of last year, and the resulting explosion of anti-semitism in the US, many are suggesting that this election, even more Jewish Americans will chose to vote for former President Trump.

{Matzav.com} 

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The return of the 101 hostages still being held by Hamas has become the “most important mission” for Israel Defense Forces in Gaza, Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant stated on Wednesday during a visit to the site where Hamas senior leader Yahya Sinwar was killed two weeks ago.

The IDF will continue to put “as much pressure on Hamas as possible in order to create the conditions necessary to ensure the return of the hostages,” Gallant told troops, according to a readout from his office.

“The political echelon must do what is necessary to bring about a deal. You must apply military pressure and do what is necessary to create the conditions required for us to carry out an agreement. This is our most important mission in Gaza at this time,” said the defense minister.

“Do what is necessary, and we will bring about an agreement because you created the conditions for us to carry it out, and I hope that we will do it,” he added, stressing that “routine tasks” remain, including the defense of the border and maintaining the IDF’s freedom of operation.

“In any place where Hamas rears its head, it meets the IDF—whether in Rafah, Khan Yunis or Jabalia—wherever Hamas rises, it is taken down,” Gallant said, telling soldiers that their actions “led to the conditions that ultimately caused Sinwar to make a mistake” that led to his death.

The Israeli government’s stated war aims for the Gaza Strip include the destruction of Hamas as a military and governing force, ensuring that it can no longer threaten the Jewish state, and securing the return of all hostages taken by Hamas during its border infiltration and massacre in southern Irsael on Oct. 7, 2023.

The 101 captives—alive and dead—have been held in the Strip after almost 400 days. On-and-off talks have continued for months with the United States, Egypt and Qatar acting as mediators.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu declared in a statement on Oct. 17 that while Sinwar’s death did not mark an end to the war, “it’s the beginning of the end.” Netanyahu and Gallant have promised immunity to terrorists who lay down their weapons and hand over hostages.

The toll on the IDF

More than a year after its ground forces first entered the coastal enclave on Oct. 27, 2023, IDF troops continued to engage terrorist forces in targeted raids across the Strip on Tuesday and Wednesday.

Soldiers of the 162nd Division eliminated dozens of terrorists in close-quarters combat and by ordering airstrikes in the Jabalia area of northern Gaza, where the Israeli military is attempting to prevent Hamas from re-establishing itself, the army stated on Wednesday.

Meanwhile, troops of the 252nd Division and Gaza Division operating in the southern and central Gaza Strip eliminated several gunmen and destroyed terrorist infrastructure, the IDF said in the statement.

The IDF death toll in Gaza since the start of the ground operation there stands at 365, while the figure on all fronts since Oct. 7 of last year is 777.

Also, Chief Inspector Arnon Zamora, a member of the Border Police’s Yamam National Counter-Terrorism Unit, was fatally wounded during a hostage rescue mission in central Gaza in June; and civilian defense contractor Liron Yitzhak was mortally wounded in the Strip in May.

(JNS)

In response to inquiries from roshei yeshiva regarding whether to interrupt or shorten bein hazemanim and how to instruct talmidim on their behavior during this time, Rav Asher Deutsch stated, “The arrangements and regulations of the yeshivos are founded on the heights of holiness and were established by our revered rabbeim, may their memories be a blessing. We have no authority to change them in any way.”

Rav Deutsch emphasized the importance of maintaining the regular bein hazemanim schedule during this period, particularly in light of the current state of distress affecting the Jewish people.

He remarked, “Certainly, it is imperative for the talmidim of the yeshivos and the kollel yungeleit during such times—when the Jewish people are subjected to plunder and the days are perilous for Yaakov—to strengthen themselves all the more in Torah and tefillah to evoke heavenly mercy upon all of Klal Yisroel.”

{Matzav.com Israel}

Sidi Mohamed Abdallahi, a 22-year-old Muslim man accused of shooting a 39-year-old Jewish man en route to a shul in Chicago last weekend, is an undocumented immigrant from Mauritania who was detained and later released in San Diego, California, in March 2023.

Abdallahi now faces 14 felony charges, including six counts of attempted murder, seven counts of aggravated firearm discharge, and one count of aggravated battery. The lack of hate crime charges against him has led to criticism from Jewish community leaders and some local officials.

According to law enforcement, Abdallahi hails from Mauritania, a country in West Africa, as reported by Fox News’ Bill Melugin. Border Patrol initially detained him in the San Diego sector in 2023, but he was subsequently released, after which he traveled to Chicago. Sanctuary city policies in Cook County, Illinois, where the incident occurred, prevent local officials from coordinating with ICE regarding detainer requests.

The Chicago Police Department labeled Abdallahi an “armed offender” and stated that he “approached the victim from behind and fired shots at the victim, striking the victim in the shoulder” as the man was walking in West Rogers Park. The victim has since recovered and returned home.

When questioned earlier in the week about Abdallahi’s citizenship status, Superintendent Larry Snelling responded that it was still under investigation. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) told Fox News that the agency “has had no interaction with this person at this time.”

Mayor Brandon Johnson described the shooting as a “tragic event [that] should have never happened.”

“The Mayor’s Office is in close communication with the Chicago Police Department as the investigation continues. All Chicagoans deserve to feel safe and protected across the city. There is more work to be done, and we are committed to diligently improving community safety in every neighborhood,” he stated.

Thousands of undocumented Mauritanians have established residence in Ohio and other parts of the Midwest. In Lockland, near Cincinnati, approximately 3,000 Mauritanian immigrants have arrived, according to the local mayor. This influx has strained the small town, which has a population of just 3,420, stretching fire and paramedic resources and burdening infrastructure that cannot support a near-doubling of its population.

In early 2024, Illinois and Cook County allocated $252 million to aid undocumented immigrants in Chicago. In recent years, tens of thousands of immigrants have been transported to the city and its nearby suburbs, and the new funding adds to an existing budget for health care, housing, and other services aimed at supporting this population.

{Matzav.com}

Following the heinous shooting of a community member on his way to shul on Saturday morning, Agudath Israel of Illinois hosted a press conference calling upon the appropriate parties to address community concerns, to be transparent, and to prosecute the offender to the fullest extent. The community has been justifiably frustrated over how the attack was covered by the media as well, and as such, another goal was to reset the narrative. Lastly, AIOI sought to highlight that the attack once again demonstrated that Orthodox Jews are significantly more vulnerable to antisemitic violence. The Chicago Rabbinical Council and ADL (Anti-Defamation League) Midwest along with other Jewish organizations participated as well.

AIOI’s director of government affairs, Rabbi Shlomo Soroka, explained that members of the Orthodox Jewish community, who are visibly Jewish and generally live in concentrated areas to be within walking distance of their synagogues, are the most vulnerable to attacks, especially while walking to their places of worship. What transpired was a realization of the community’s worst fears; something AIOI and others have been warning of for years.

In addressing the fact that hate crime charges were not among the numerous other charges filed against the offender, Rabbi Soroka said, “Are we disappointed that hate crime charges weren’t filed? Yes, but we also understand that the investigation is ongoing and that there can be additional charges tacked on later. Which means we will be watching the State’s Attorney’s office closely as time goes on. There is no room whatsoever for political considerations. And while we also understand there are legalities and hate crimes aren’t easily prosecuted, we expect every effort is made to prosecute a hate crime for what it is.”

He also noted that it’s important to understand that whether or not this is prosecuted as a hate crime, that is an irrelevant technicality in terms of how the community is experiencing what transpired. “We just experienced an act of violence that strikes at the heart of our communal family. We, as a community, celebrate joyous occasions together, we mourn tragedies together, and we will fight for our safety together. And that is why we are here today.”

{Matzav.com}

A recent poll reveals that a significant number of American voters fear that the current conflict in the Middle East may escalate into a full-scale regional war. Nearly half of the electorate expresses that they are “extremely” or “very” concerned about the potential for a wider conflict in the area.

While apprehensions about the conflict’s expansion are prevalent, the survey from the AP-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research indicates that only about 40% of voters are worried about the United States becoming involved in a Middle Eastern war. This survey was conducted prior to Israel’s attack on military installations in Iran last Friday.

There exists a substantial partisan divide regarding the extent of responsibility attributed to the Israeli government for the war’s escalation. Approximately 60% of Democrats believe the Israeli government holds “a lot” of responsibility, while only around 25% of Republicans share that view.

As the conflict in the Middle East takes center stage in political campaigns, figures like former President Donald Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris are striving to attract Muslim and Jewish voters in crucial states such as Michigan and Pennsylvania. Despite both parties sharing concerns about the war’s potential expansion, they differ significantly in their perceptions of blame regarding the recent intensification and the role the U.S. should play in the future.

Around 60% of voters attribute “a lot” of responsibility for the conflict’s escalation to the Palestinian terrorist organization Hamas, the Iranian government, and the militant group Hezbollah from Lebanon. About 40% of voters believe the Israeli government has “a lot” of responsibility, whereas only 20% feel that the U.S. government shares “a lot” of responsibility.

There is widespread support among voters for economic sanctions against Iran, which could disrupt its support for proxy groups like Hezbollah in Lebanon and Hamas in Gaza. A majority, specifically 55%, endorse the imposition of sanctions. However, voters are nearly evenly split on whether the U.S. should supply weapons to Israel’s military, with more individuals opposing financial assistance for Israel’s military than supporting it.

The idea of sending U.S. troops to support Israel’s military is largely unpopular among voters of all political affiliations. Approximately 50% of voters oppose the deployment of U.S. troops for this purpose, with only about 20% in favor and a similar percentage expressing neutral sentiments.

Despite previous disappointments and low expectations for significant progress ahead of the elections, the U.S. continues to advocate for advances on short-term cease-fire proposals.

Half of the voters believe the U.S. is doing “about as much as it can” to facilitate a cease-fire agreement between Israel and Hamas and Hezbollah, while 30% think it could be more proactive. Roughly 20% of voters believe that the U.S. should decrease its efforts.

A greater number of Republicans than Democrats prefer less U.S. involvement in cease-fire initiatives. Around 30% of Republicans feel the U.S. should do less, in contrast to about 10% of Democrats. Additionally, approximately 60% of Democrats believe the U.S. is doing what it can, compared to around 40% of Republicans.

Democrats, Republicans, and independents are similarly inclined to suggest that the U.S. could increase its involvement.

This poll, which surveyed 1,072 adults, was conducted between October 11 and 14, 2024, utilizing a sample from NORC’s probability-based AmeriSpeak Panel, designed to reflect the broader U.S. population. The margin of error for registered voters is plus or minus 4.2 percentage points.

{Matzav.com}

Andrew Schally, who passed away at the age of 97, was honored with a Nobel Prize for his groundbreaking work in isolating and synthesizing neurohormones—substances produced by specialized nerve cells that play a crucial role in regulating various bodily functions.

Schally’s journey began in 1954 when he discovered the research conducted by British scientist Geoffrey Harris. Harris proposed that the tiny pituitary gland, responsible for producing essential hormones, was actually regulated by other hormones or “releasing factors” generated in the hypothalamus of the brain. To capture these elusive releasing factors, Schally embarked on an ambitious project, grinding up large amounts of hypothalamic tissue sourced from pigs.

At the same time, French-American physiologist Roger Guillemin was engaged in a similar quest, using sheep brains for his research. This competition developed into a lengthy 21-year pursuit, with intense emotions on both sides.

In 1969, Schally achieved the first major breakthrough when he revealed—just days before Guillemin—that he had identified the chemical structure of thyrotropin-releasing factor (TRF), which instructs the pituitary gland to regulate the thyroid gland. Two years later, in collaboration with Japanese researchers, Schally isolated luteinising hormone-releasing factor (LRF), which triggers activities in the reproductive system.

The next year, a researcher from Guillemin’s laboratory discovered a third releasing hormone, somatostatin. Together, their discoveries established the groundwork for neuroendocrinology—the discipline focused on how the brain manages hormone levels—and paved the way for extensive research into hormone-related diseases like breast and prostate cancers. Their work also contributed to advancements in contraceptive pills and studies related to Parkinson’s disease.

In 1977, Schally and Guillemin were jointly awarded a quarter share of the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine (the remaining half went to Rosalyn Yalow for unrelated research). Nevertheless, this accolade did not put an end to their rivalry, which became legendary in scientific circles. In 2005, Schally remarked to the Miami Herald: “We hate each other’s guts.”

Andrzej Viktor Schally was born on November 30, 1926, in Wilno, Poland, to Jewish parents, Kazimierz and Maria Schally. His father, a professional soldier, joined the Allied Forces at the outbreak of the Second World War, while Maria and her two children fled to Romania to avoid the Nazis. Growing up within the Jewish-Romanian community, Andrzej became fluent in Yiddish, Polish, Romanian, and Italian.

In 1945, he immigrated to Scotland, where he completed his high school education. He pursued chemistry studies at the University of London and subsequently worked as a laboratory technician at the National Institute for Medical Research. In 1952, Schally relocated to Montreal to join McGill University, where he collaborated with Murray Saffran in the quest for releasing factors.

After earning his doctorate in 1957, Schally became part of Guillemin’s laboratory at Baylor University College of Medicine in Houston, Texas. Their relationship was fraught from the beginning, as both were hesitant to share credit for their joint endeavors.

When five years passed without notable progress, the scientific community began to mock their efforts, with one individual likening their pursuit to that of the Abominable Snowman. In 1962, Schally departed from Baylor to establish his own laboratory dedicated to hypothalamic research. There, he developed a keen interest in reproductive endocrinology and began examining the impacts of contraceptive steroids and clomiphene, a treatment for female infertility. Public doubt was finally dispelled in 1966 when he proclaimed that he had identified the three amino acids present in porcine thyrotropin-releasing factor.

Over the course of his career, Schally authored more than 2,300 publications and received over 30 honorary degrees. He garnered numerous accolades, including the prestigious Albert Lasker Basic Medical Research Award. In 2004, he was honored with the title of Chevalier of the Légion d’honneur.

Andrew Schally’s first marriage ended in divorce, and his second wife, Ana Maria, passed away in 2004. In 2011, he wed Maria De Lourdes Rasmussen, who survives him, along with a son from his first marriage. A daughter from his first marriage preceded him in death.

{Matzav.com}

The FBI issued a warning to top U.S. tech companies just before The New York Post began reporting on Hunter Biden’s laptop in October 2020, cautioning that Russian operatives were preparing a similar release of sensitive information. As the story unfolded, internal discussions at Facebook showed executives considering their content moderation in ways that would align with what they anticipated from a Biden-Harris administration, according to an interim report from the House Judiciary Committee’s Subcommittee on the Weaponization of Government, the NY Post reports.

 

The report’s revelations come at a pivotal time, with former President Donald Trump leading in polls for the November 5 election. Trump’s supporters are pushing for significant changes at the FBI, including possible reforms or antitrust actions against tech platforms like Facebook. The report also includes a message from an unnamed Microsoft employee, who wrote on October 14, 2020, the day The New York Post began its coverage of the Biden family’s international dealings: “FBI tipped us all off last week that this Burisma story was likely to emerge.”

Communications among Facebook staff reflect a skeptical stance toward The Post’s findings, labeling them as the “exact content expected for hack and leak.” One employee noted, “Right on schedule,” while Nick Clegg, then Facebook’s vice president of global affairs, acknowledged in a message to VP Joel Kaplan that their actions could impact how the future Biden administration might perceive them: “Obviously, our calls on this could colour [sic] the way an incoming Biden administration views us more than almost anything else…”

The Post reportedly spent close to a month verifying the authenticity of the laptop’s contents before publishing but did not make clear to what extent the FBI was aware of that process. Despite the FBI’s early possession of the laptop—seized from a Delaware computer repairman in December 2019—the agency privately cast doubt on the story, even as former intelligence officials and then-candidate Joe Biden asserted a Russian origin.

The New York Post’s reporting highlighted interactions between Joe Biden, then vice president, and international associates of his son Hunter and brother James, in regions like Ukraine and China where Biden had a role in U.S. policy. The story was later corroborated by other outlets and even used in court by federal prosecutors. Nonetheless, Republicans believe Biden’s narrow win over Trump in swing states may have been influenced by the suspicions surrounding the laptop’s authenticity.

John Paul Mac Isaac, the Delaware repairman who became a whistleblower, provided the laptop to the FBI after Hunter Biden abandoned it. Mac Isaac believed it contained evidence of international misconduct. He also provided a copy to The New York Post. Congressional Republicans now argue that the FBI and tech companies collaborated to influence the 2020 election—a sentiment they say was acknowledged by employees at the social media firms at the time.

In a message from July 15, 2020, disclosed in the report, a Facebook employee said, “[W]hen we get hauled up to [Capitol] [H]ill to testify on why we influenced the 2020 elections, we can say we have been meeting for YEARS with USG [the U.S. Government] to plan for it.” Although the FBI informed some Twitter staff that the laptop was authentic on the day of The New York Post’s story, this information was reportedly not widely shared internally at Twitter, nor has evidence emerged showing a similar clarification was given to Facebook.

The House Republicans’ report, drafted by Subcommittee Chairman Jim Jordan (R-Ohio), asserts, “[I]f the FBI’s intent was truly to help social media companies combat actual foreign influence operations, the FBI should have shared the single most important fact: the influence-peddling allegations in the Post story were based off of real, credible information, including information in the FBI’s possession.”

The report criticizes the FBI for failing to disclose key facts, saying, “The FBI failed to do so. While the FBI eventually conceded that it had no indication that the allegations in the Post story were Russian disinformation—only after an FBI agent mistakenly revealed to Twitter that the laptop was ‘real’—the FBI still withheld the fact that it had seized and authenticated Hunter Biden’s laptop months prior.”

The report concludes that both Twitter and Facebook continued to suppress what it calls “the most significant news story of the election cycle,” ultimately shielding the Biden-Harris campaign from allegations of family-related corruption.

The FBI, under Director Christopher Wray, faces criticism from congressional Republicans, with some questioning its investigation into alleged Iranian hacking of the Trump campaign in the current election cycle. House Republican Conference Chairwoman Elise Stefanik (R-NY) criticized what she called “the FBI’s deep corruption regarding foreign election interference from Iran targeting President Trump,” calling it “a corrupt coverup”—a post shared by House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.).

Frustrations among Trump’s allies remain high over the FBI’s high-profile, extensive investigation into alleged Russian collusion during the 2016 election, which ultimately found no evidence of a conspiracy. Critics also point to the bureau’s role in two criminal cases against Trump, one involving the handling of classified records and another focused on challenges to the 2020 election results.

{Matzav.com}

The Israeli Finance Ministry has significantly reduced its growth projections for 2024 and 2025, citing the ongoing war with Hamas in Gaza and Hezbollah in Lebanon.

The Treasury’s chief economist now forecasts growth of 0.4% in 2024, down from the previous estimate of 1.1%. For 2025, the growth projection has been lowered to 4.3% from 4.6%. The revision comes as the ministry prepares to launch discussion on Thursday over the 2025 state budget.

The reduction in growth expectations is attributed to the intensification and broadening of the conflict.

“Our forecast in early September was based on a scenario of continued fighting until the first quarter of 2025, without assuming further intensity or expansion to other fronts. This scenario is no longer relevant since the fighting expanded to the northern arena at the end of September,” said the Finance Ministry.

The ministry’s current baseline scenario anticipates intense fighting throughout most of the last quarter of 2024, including increased reserve mobilization, followed by a gradual reduction in reserve call-ups throughout 2025.

This downward revision aligns with the Bank of Israel’s recent adjustment of its growth projections. The central bank now expects 0.5% growth in 2024 and 3.8% in 2025, down from its July estimates of 1.5% and 4.2% respectively.

The economic impact of the conflict is already evident. Beyond the direct costs, in late September rating agency Moody’s downgraded Israel’s credit rating by two notches, citing intensified geopolitical risks. This move placed Israel’s rating at the same level as Spain and Bulgaria, reflecting growing concerns about the country’s economic stability amid the war.

Despite these challenges, the Israeli government is taking steps to address the financial strain. Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich recently presented the 2025 state budget proposal, which includes 200 billion shekels ($54 billion) for security and war efforts and 20 billion shekels ($5.4 billion) for public reconstruction. The budget aims for a deficit target of 4% of GDP, necessitating cuts of 35 billion shekels ($9.5 billion).

(JNS)

Watch Vice President Kamala Harris distance herself from Biden’s “garbage” insult, saying “I strongly disagree.”

The Israel Police said on Tuesday night that the investigation into Sunday’s deadly truck-ramming incident in Glilot “strengthens the suspicion” that it was a terrorist attack.

Betzalel Carmi, 72, from Rishon Lezion, was killed and 36 others wounded when an Israeli Arab resident of Qalansawe crashed into a bus full of retirees who had just gotten off an intercity tourist coach outside of an Israel Defense Forces base north of Tel Aviv.

The Tel Aviv District’s central unit launched the probe into the incident.

“According to the investigation … a police officer present near the scene at the time climbed into the truck’s cab and was attacked by the truck driver with a rod he held (as shown in the body camera footage). As seen in the video, the officer fell from the cab due to the assault and immediately fired into the air out of fear for his life. Soldiers on the scene noticed the incident, fired at the driver and neutralized him,” police said in a statement.

“Based on the investigation findings thus far and footage showing the truck being intentionally steered toward civilians, with no attempt to brake (no skid marks on the road) and allegedly even accelerating, the suspicion that the ramming, which harmed civilians, was carried out with a nationalist motive has grown stronger,” the statement continued.

Preliminary autopsy results do not indicate that the driver had suffered a medical event that could have caused the crash, police said.

(JNS)