Matzav

The Trump administration is restricting cities from using road safety grants for automated cameras that enforce speed limits or other traffic laws, part of a shift away from safety measures that might slow or otherwise inconvenience car travel.

The letters to city officials went out in December, saying that “for consistency with Administration priorities,” traffic cameras outside of school or work zones will not get approval under the Safe Streets and Roads for All program. The program was created by the 2021 infrastructure law and funds projects aimed at eliminating traffic deaths.

“This Administration will not allow critical safety dollars to subsidize the purchase of speed cameras so governments can pursue unfair revenue schemes,” U.S. Department of Transportation spokesman Nathaniel Sizemore said in a statement.

Proposals to extend sidewalk curbs farther into a roadway are also barred, although the number of exceptions is greater: transit stops, roundabouts, school zones, on-street parking and curb extensions that don’t take away lanes of traffic, according to the letters from the U.S. Department of Transportation. As with other administration grants, the language also says any “equity analysis” is disqualifying.

The cities had been awarded grants but did not yet have a signed agreement with the White House for their implementation. Until that happens, funds can be clawed back. The Trump administration has previously said grants that include “reducing lane capacity for vehicles” with bike lanes or pedestrian infrastructure are “hostile” to cars and “counter to DOT’s priority of preserving or increasing roadway capacity for motor vehicles.”

Transportation Secretary Sean P. Duffy has signaled his enthusiasm for driving in various ways. He has tried to stop congestion pricing in New York, has encouraged Americans to take road trips and on Friday announced plans to host an IndyCar street race around the capital in August, saying, “Freedom doesn’t ring, it revs!”

Alex Engel, a spokesman for the National Association of City Transportation Officials, a nonprofit coalition, said the change is an unwarranted restriction on “proven, lifesaving tools,” and that “limiting speed and red-light enforcement to construction and school zones leaves many of the most dangerous city streets unaddressed.”

Research indicates that speed, red-light and stop sign cameras are effective at reducing crashes and fatalities and popular with the public. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration calls them a “proven safety countermeasure” in a 2023 report and noted that “support appears highest in jurisdictions that have implemented red-light or speed cameras.”

Advocates say merely cutting federal funding is unlikely to slow the growth of camera programs because they generally pay for themselves with fines.

“I don’t see it as a huge barrier, given that that’s not usually where the funding comes from,” said Leah Shahum, who leads a Vision Zero Network that offers support to cities and counties trying to end road deaths. “It’s still consequential for those that have applied, and I would worry a little bit that it may send a message, that in some places it would slow enthusiasm.”

In-person traffic enforcement has collapsed across the country in the past six years, and more communities are turning to cameras to fill the gap. But there are vocal opponents who argue that it isn’t fair to enforce traffic laws without the discretion of a human officer and that cameras are used to fine people for speed limits that are too low.

Last month, Politico reported that the administration suggested stripping funding for the District of Columbia unless the city eliminates its many traffic cameras. D.C. Mayor Muriel E. Bowser (D) pushed back, saying doing so “would endanger people in our community” and “mean cuts to everyday services.” Cameras bring in more than $100 million a year through ticket revenue.

Several House Republicans are adamantly opposed to traffic cameras and have pushed for legislation banning them both in D.C. and nationwide. According to two people who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss internal deliberations, officials at the Federal Highway Administration have also been gathering information on the city’s bike lanes and whether they took space away from cars and caused congestion.

(c) 2026, The Washington Post 

{Matzav.com}

New York City’s transit system, the largest in the US, is creating a new unit to steer a $12 billion effort to replace decades-old trains and modernize its bus fleet.

Jessie Lazarus, who led the Metropolitan Transportation Authority’s shift from the MetroCard to the tap-and-go OMNY fare system, will head the agency’s new Rolling Stock Program. The group, which will include about 10 staff members, will focus on performance-based specifications for manufacturers rather than being overly prescriptive on design, she said.

Given the scale of its procurement needs, the MTA aims to broaden the domestic manufacturing base and boost competition among suppliers, Lazarus said in an interview, describing the agency as “truly the market maker” that must be strategic about capital deployment and rail production capacity.

“This is one of the largest investments in manufacturing that’s happening in America,” Lazarus said. “And we should think about our power to structure policies that can stabilize the supplier base for the benefit of domestic public transit.”

The MTA plans to buy about 1,500 subway cars, more than 500 commuter-rail cars and roughly 2,200 buses under its 2025–2029 capital program. The rolling stock initiative accounts for nearly 20% of the agency’s $65.4 billion capital plan through 2029.

Many of the MTA’s rail cars date back to the 1980s and are nearing the end of their useful life. Older trains break down about six times as often as newer models, according to the agency. Roughly 40% of the bus fleet will also be eligible for replacement in the coming years.

Lazarus joined the MTA in 2023 after working at Carmera Inc., an artificial-intelligence company acquired by Toyota Motor Corp. in 2021. She previously served as New York City’s chief digital officer from 2014 to 2016. Lazarus holds an MBA from Harvard Business School and a bachelor’s degree from Middlebury College.

(c) 2026, Bloomberg 

Despite repeated assurances by Israeli Prime Minister Bibi Netanyahu that neither Hamas nor the Palestinian Authority would have any role in a technocratic body overseeing Gaza, developments on the ground suggest otherwise, Arutz Sheva reports.

Reporting on i24NEWS, Amichai Stein disclosed that the newly unveiled emblem of the National Committee for the Administration of Gaza (NCAG) incorporates the official insignia of the Palestinian Authority, raising questions about the committee’s true affiliations.

Beyond the logo itself, the composition of the 12-member panel further underscores those concerns. The committee, headed by Dr. Ali Shaath, is largely made up of individuals identified with the Fatah movement and the Palestinian Authority, including several who previously held positions within PA government frameworks or public institutions.

The roster includes Sami Nasman, who once served as a senior figure in Palestinian General Intelligence and was later imprisoned by Hamas while in Gaza. Another member is Hanaa’ Al-Tarazi, the sole woman on the committee, a Christian attorney whose professional focus is Islamic law.

{Matzav.com}

NEW DELHI – The United States and India have finalized a trade agreement, President Donald Trump said in a Truth Social post Monday, putting an end to rancorous, months-long negotiations and steadying a relationship that had plummeted to its lowest point in decades.

The agreement calls for Washington to lower its 25 percent tariff on goods imported from India to 18 percent, with India reducing its tariffs on U.S. goods to zero, according to Trump. It is unclear whether the additional 25 percent tariff Trump levied on New Delhi for its purchases of Russian oil in August will remain, though the president wrote that Prime Minister Narendra Modi has also agreed to “stop buying Russian Oil.”

“Our amazing relationship with India will be even stronger going forward,” Trump said.

In a post on X, Modi thanked Trump “for this wonderful announcement” and said that “when two large economies and the world’s largest democracies work together, it benefits our people and unlocks immense opportunities for mutually beneficial cooperation.”

The long-sought agreement between Washington and New Delhi was reached just days after India signed a sweeping trade deal with the European Union, part of the country’s efforts to diversity its global partnerships amid tensions with the White House.

Trump, in his Truth Social post, said India would also purchase more than $500 billion of U.S. energy, technology, agriculture and coal products.

(c) 2026, The Washington Post 

{Matzav.com}

Top Justice Department officials have stripped Ed Martin of the bulk of his expansive responsibilities, leaving the staunch ally of President Donald Trump on the sidelines of many of the controversial investigations he has championed, according to two people familiar with the personnel move.

As a result of the changes, Martin will no longer chair the department’s Weaponization Working Group, which was tasked with reviewing special counsel Jack Smith’s prosecutions of Trump and other perceived examples of “prosecutorial abuse,” according to the people, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss a personnel move that has not been made public.

Martin will continue to serve as the Justice Department’s pardon attorney but will no longer work at Justice Department headquarters. Instead, his office will be located in another DOJ building in Northeast Washington, pulling him away from the attorney general and the most powerful figures in the department, according to a person familiar with the move. The pardon office is in that Northeast Washington building.

“President Trump appointed Ed Martin as pardon attorney, and Ed continues to do a great job in that role,” a Justice Department spokesperson said.

Martin is a longtime antiabortion activist who helped plan and finance the rally that preceded the Jan. 6, 2021, riot at the U.S. Capitol.

Trump first named Martin to serve as the U.S. attorney for D.C.

Martin, who had no previous trial or prosecutorial experience, served in that role for 15 weeks on an interim basis, with his tenure marked by his threats to investigate Trump’s perceived political adversaries and firings and demotions of career prosecutors who handled cases involving the president and the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol.

Trump pulled the nomination because Martin did not have enough Senate support and instead gave him a senior Justice Department role, which did not require Senate confirmation.

As leader of the Weaponization Working Group, Martin has played an important role in the largely unsuccessful prosecutions of Trump’s political foes, including New York Attorney General Letitia James, former FBI director James B. Comey and Sen. Adam Schiff (D-California).

In November, The Washington Post reported that federal prosecutors appeared to be questioning a witness in the Schiff mortgage fraud investigation about her contact with Martin and Federal Housing Finance Agency Director Bill Pulte.

The questioning suggested that investigators were looking at whether Martin and Pulte used inappropriate tactics to launch probes of Schiff and others, questioning whether the two Trump officials divulged information about the Schiff investigation to people who were not authorized to be a part of it.

(c) 2026, The Washington Post 

{Matzav.com}

A classified internal memo circulated by Hamas leadership to its senior administrators in the Gaza Strip, ahead of the expected arrival of a technocratic government, lays out a strategy for maintaining Hamas’s rule over the territory even after the new administration formally takes office, according to a report by Kan News.

The document reportedly provides specific guidance to Hamas’s administrative officials on how they are expected to conduct themselves on a daily basis in relation to the incoming technocratic government.

Under the instructions outlined in the memo, officials are told to carry on with their regular responsibilities without alteration, effectively behaving as though no transition has taken place and ensuring that existing control structures remain intact.

The document also warns officials against criticizing members of the technocratic government or its leader on social media platforms, a move intended to prevent visible clashes or public disputes.

At the same time, the memo explicitly orders officials not to form any direct personal relationships with government representatives and not to transfer information or reports to them, except via the “relevant authority,” which, in practice, refers to Hamas itself.

Through these directives, the document describes an arrangement in which the technocratic government appears to function outwardly, while actual authority over administrative systems, information channels, and bureaucratic operations continues to rest firmly with Hamas.

Alongside these political maneuvers, the terror group is reportedly advancing its military capabilities under the protection of the ceasefire. Channel 13 News reported that the Israel Defense Forces recently placed a formal warning document on the desk of Prime Minister Bibi Netanyahu, alerting him to a marked increase in Hamas’s military buildup in Gaza.

According to that assessment, the IDF believes Hamas is actively working to safeguard its strength and preserve both its civilian authority and military dominance in the Strip.

The core concern raised in the warning is that even within a “technocratic government” framework, Hamas will be able to retain effective control over Gaza unless the organization is fully disarmed.

{Matzav.com}

Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei released a string of statements alleging that recent unrest in Iran was not spontaneous but rather a coordinated operation directed by foreign actors, which he labeled a “sedition” aimed at destabilizing the Islamic Republic.

In his remarks, Khamenei asserted that the disturbances were engineered by external forces, specifically blaming “Zionists & the US.” He said he had learned “through a certain channel that the CIA & Mossad deployed all of their resources into the field,” but maintained that despite those efforts, “they were defeated.” According to him, the sedition’s plan “was developed abroad, and it was managed from abroad.”

Khamenei further argued that Washington’s role was evident from comments made by the US President. “When we say the sedition was orchestrated by the US, it isn’t merely a claim,” he wrote, adding that the President’s own words made this clear. He claimed that the US President directly addressed the rioters, telling them, “Keep going, keep going. I’m coming [to help].”

The Iranian leader said such unrest was not an isolated incident, describing Iran as a nation that remains “in friction with the interests of global aggressors.” He posed the question of how long these attempts would persist and answered that they would continue “until the Iranian nation reaches a point where the enemy is left hopeless,” concluding, “And we will reach that point.”

Khamenei praised the actions of Iran’s security forces, stating that law enforcement, the Basij, and the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps “carried out their duties in full.” At the same time, he emphasized that the decisive factor was public action, saying “it was the people themselves who trampled the fire of sedition into ashes.”

Turning to economic demonstrations, Khamenei acknowledged that some participants had legitimate complaints. He said shopkeepers “did have grievances and their demands were logical and justified,” but alleged that violent elements used those protests as cover. Once merchants understood that the demonstrations were turning into riots, he claimed, “they separated themselves.”

Khamenei likened the events to a coup attempt and explained why he believed that definition applied. He said it was because “the goal was to destroy the centers effective in the country’s governance,” asserting that attackers focused on police units, IRGC bases, government offices, and banks.

He also alleged that certain ringleaders, whom he claimed were trained by the US and Zionists, were responsible for what he described as “engineered killings.” According to Khamenei, these figures even turned on “the foot soldiers whom they themselves had drawn into the field with their propaganda,” attacking them from behind.

According to Khamenei, the central objective of the sedition was to erode internal security. He warned that “when security is gone, nothing is left,” adding that without security there can be “no production, no schools, no research, no scientific knowledge, and no progress.”

He concluded by comparing the violence to that of the Daesh terror organization. “A defining feature of this sedition was its violence; it was like that of the Daesh,” he said. Referring to the origins of ISIS, Khamenei cited a statement he attributed to President Donald Trump, saying, “We created ISIS.” He claimed that, similar to Daesh, those involved in the unrest “burned people alive” and “beheaded people,” carrying out the same kinds of atrocities.

{Matzav.com}

The United States may be on the brink of its first-ever population decline, potentially as soon as this year, far earlier than long-range forecasts once suggested. New estimates from federal agencies and independent economists indicate that President Donald Trump’s aggressive immigration enforcement has sharply reduced net migration, pushing the country toward a demographic milestone never before recorded, Bloomberg reported Monday.

For generations, population gains in the U.S. were sustained largely by immigration, which compensated for declining birth rates and a rising number of deaths as the population aged.

That long-standing pattern appears to be breaking faster than expected. Analysts from across the ideological spectrum now say that immigration policies enacted during Trump’s second term are hastening a demographic shift that had previously been projected to occur much later.

As recently as 2023, the U.S. Census Bureau’s long-term outlook estimated that the nation’s population would not begin to contract until 2081.

More recent figures, however, suggest that schedule may have dramatically changed.

According to Census Bureau data released this week, the U.S. population increased by only 0.5%, or about 1.8 million people, in the year ending July 1, 2025. That marked the slowest annual growth rate since the height of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Officials attributed most of that slowdown to a steep decline in net migration, which dropped to 1.3 million from 2.7 million the previous year.

During the same period, births exceeded deaths by 519,000, a margin that continues to shrink each year.

The Congressional Budget Office has warned that by around 2030, deaths are expected to surpass births entirely, meaning immigration would become the only factor preventing population loss.

Census officials now anticipate that net migration will decline even further, to roughly 316,000 in the year ending July 2026, with the United States, in their words, “trending toward negative net migration.”

Independent analysts suggest the shift may already be underway. Economists from the American Enterprise Institute and the Brookings Institution estimate that net migration may have turned negative in 2025, with the immigrant population shrinking by between 10,000 and 295,000 people.

Their projections for this year are even more stark, forecasting outcomes ranging from a modest increase of 185,000 immigrants to a decline of as many as 925,000 — estimates calculated before additional legal immigration restrictions were announced this year.

Should immigration losses outweigh the already diminishing excess of births over deaths, the total U.S. population would begin to fall. Under the most pessimistic scenario outlined by the researchers, the population would shrink by more than 400,000 people this year.

“We could be at around zero or negative on population,” said Tara Watson, director of the Brookings Center for Economic Security and Opportunity and a co-author of the analysis.

Demographers note that since the first national census was conducted in 1790, the United States has never officially recorded a nationwide population decline.

Some historians point to 1918 as a possible exception, when the Spanish flu outbreak combined with the overseas deployment of millions of U.S. troops may have temporarily reduced the number of people living in the country.

Economists caution that the consequences of reduced immigration and potential population decline would likely unfold gradually, affecting labor force growth, economic output, and government finances over time rather than triggering immediate shocks.

The Trump administration maintains that stricter immigration policies will strengthen opportunities for native-born workers and relieve strain on housing markets and public services.

White House officials have also cited expanded workforce training initiatives and broader access to temporary worker visas as measures intended to address potential labor shortages.

{Matzav.com}

A special session marking 77 years since the establishment of the Knesset was held in the plenum, but it unfolded against a backdrop of controversy, absences, and political tension. The President of the State did not attend after the President of the Supreme Court was not invited, and most of the opposition boycotted the debate, although MK Yair Lapid did take the podium to speak.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu addressed the decision not to invite Supreme Court Justice Yitzhak Amit, expressing hope for reconciliation in the coming year. “I hope that next year we will overcome all the obstacles and reach full understandings. We want to arrive at the same understandings that guided the State of Israel for decades,” Netanyahu said.

Expanding on the issue, Netanyahu said, “We need to restore the balance between the three branches of government. In the past, it was customary that the judiciary was selected through the Knesset. Let us moderate the tone of the debate. I will act to reach understandings.”

Netanyahu went on to reflect more broadly on Israel’s system of governance. “Israel is not a perfect democracy. There is no such thing. We are a challenged democracy. I do not know of any other democracy that faces tests like those faced by the State of Israel. Let us tone down the language of the dispute-this is at least how I try to conduct myself. But such a Knesset is always preferable to one in which elected officials are not allowed to open their mouths. Silencing elected representatives would be the end of democracy. We have disagreements on fundamental issues-these disagreements are not a flaw in democracy. They are the essence of democracy, and the public decides at the ballot box.”

Turning to regional security, Netanyahu also addressed threats from Tehran, warning the Iranian regime against attacking Israel. “Anyone who attacks us will suffer unbearable consequences for them,” he said, referring to repeated threats to strike Israel if it is attacked by the United States.

Knesset Speaker Amir Ohana opened the anniversary debate and addressed the absences in the plenum. “The current controversy, because of which many members of Knesset are absent, concerns the custom whereby presidents of the Supreme Court were invited in previous years to mark the Knesset’s anniversaries. Unfortunately, there are other customs that have also been violated,” he said.

Ohana elaborated on what he described as additional breaches of long-standing norms. “For example, the custom, enshrined in law, whereby presidents of the Supreme Court were chosen by the Judicial Selection Committee convened by order of its chairperson, and not by court orders issued by colleagues of the designated president. That custom and that law were violated as well. There was also a custom whereby it was unthinkable to annul a Basic Law-a custom that was likewise trampled, in the midst of the war, by a decision that is patently unreasonable,” he added.

Continuing his remarks, Ohana criticized what he sees as an overreaction to the controversy surrounding invitations. “I regret that once again there are those who view non-invitation to a ceremonial event as a substantive blow to Israel’s democratic system. I regret even more that those same people accept with equanimity the transformation of the judiciary into a super-authority that can judge, legislate, and annul laws and Basic Laws, like an all-powerful king. One exception regarding invitations will be on national memorial days. As was the case last year, we will not drag the dispute into those sacred days.”

In closing, the Knesset Speaker emphasized his openness to dialogue while insisting on mutual respect between branches of government. “I repeat: the Knesset under my leadership is open to dialogue with the judicial system. Whenever the heads of the system ask to meet, talk, clarify, and try to bridge gaps, I commit that their outstretched hand will not be returned empty. Those who show respect will be respected. But respect between branches is not one-sided. One cannot demand that the legislative branch respect the judiciary while the judiciary continues to empty the legislature’s powers of their content. This is a fundamental matter for the existence of the State of Israel as Jewish and democratic. The Knesset cannot ignore the trampling of the public and must stand up for its rights,” the Speaker concluded.

{Matzav.com}

Opposition leader MK Yair Lapid rejected allegations that he conducted a private meeting with senior Qatari officials, insisting that the discussion took place together with families of Israeli hostages.

That version was challenged by a Kan News report, which said Lapid initially took part in a restricted meeting with senior Qatari representatives that included only members of his own staff and did not include the hostages’ families. The report added that a separate meeting was later held with representatives of three hostage families.

According to the report, both meetings were held on January 12, 2025, at the Four Seasons Hotel in Paris. The report further stated that during the discussions Lapid spoke positively about Qatar’s role in the negotiations and that topics involving potential future relations between Israel and Qatar were also raised.

Lapid’s office confirmed that an initial meeting took place without the families present. “Lapid and his team sat with the Qatari representative for a discussion on the issue of the hostages, and afterward the families of the hostages joined the meeting,” his office said.

Lapid went on to accuse the Prime Minister’s Office of double standards, alleging that it had quietly accepted millions of dollars from Qatar and enabled the transfer of tens of millions of dollars in cash to Hamas’s military wing. He also said that Prime Minister Bibi Netanyahu apologized to Qatari officials at the White House after Operation Summit Of Fire and pledged that such an attack would not occur again.

Lapid maintained that the publication of the report was intended to divert attention from legislation he initiated that would classify Qatar as an enemy state. “We recommend that the Prime Minister’s Office support the law instead of continuing to sell the security of the State of Israel for monetary gain,” he said.

{Matzav.com}

Amid a series of painful tragedies that have recently struck the chareidi community, the mashgiach of Ponevezh Yeshiva, Rav Ezra Rothschild, delivered a forceful and emotional address in which he sharply condemned street posters and public demonstrations held against the rulings of the Gedolei HaDor. He warned that public ביזוי of Torah leadership is a grave matter, declaring that “the Torah demands redress,” and blaming such conduct for the calamities befalling the community.

Speaking with visible anguish, Rav Rothschild described the recent period as one of extraordinary pain. “In the past two weeks, terrible things have happened to Klal Yisroel—horrific tragedies, involving young people, both in the way they occurred and in their timing. Even today, the father of a yeshiva student passed away,” he said. “Without question, Hakadosh Baruch Hu is speaking to us. He has taken pure souls who merited to be a communal offering. We may not know exactly what Hashem wants from us, but the first thing a person must recognize is that Hashem is speaking to us. These are frightening events, not according to the natural order, and yet they share a similar pattern.”

Rav Rothschild then turned his focus to what he described as a deep and dangerous confusion within the public regarding kavod haTorah and the honor due to the Gedolei Yisroel. Quoting what he said he had heard in the name of a leading Torah authority, he stated that the recent tragedies were linked to the public disparagement of Torah leadership. “There has been, recently, a ביזוי of Gedolei Yisroel,” he said. “There were demonstrations—official demonstrations—by thousands of Jews against Gedolei Yisroel. This was not about the draft decree itself, but explicitly against the deferment law from military service. That is what was written.”

He expressed astonishment that public protests were staged against a matter already decided by the Gedolim. “What does it mean, a law of deferment from the draft? Gedolei Yisroel deliberated, ruled, and decided—and people demonstrate against that? Such a thing never existed. Tens of thousands of people participated. Most of them are innocent, simple people who were drawn in and are not to blame. But something terrible happened here. These demonstrations are against Daas Torah, completely against the way of the Torah.”

In particularly sharp terms, Rav Rothschild criticized attempts to undermine the authority of Rav Dov Landau, warning against the growing influence of “the street” and political activists. “This situation, where demonstrations are held against Gedolei Yisroel whom all of Klal Yisroel follows—Maran Rosh HaYeshiva Rav Dov Landau is greater than the entire generation, without question wiser, more G-d-fearing, and older,” he said. “Even if you think it doesn’t suit you or you don’t understand, you are obligated to listen.”

The mashgiach also issued a stark warning regarding street posters attacking gedolei Yisroel. “People become confused by the posters in the streets. Perhaps one should not read them at all. Perhaps they fall under the prohibition of bringing an abomination into one’s home—this is heresy. There are posters that publicly disgrace Gedolei Yisroel. These are the work of bad people,” he said emphatically. “Know this: all the street posters are from bad people. One must learn not to read them. Do not read them.”

Rav Rothschild concluded by reiterating the obligation of absolute obedience to Torah leadership and recalling the approach of Rav Aharon Leib Steinman. He related that when people once questioned Rav Steinman regarding the draft deferment law, Rav Steinman replied, “Everything you are saying, I also know. But there are things I know that you do not know.”

Summing up his message, Rav Rothschild said: “The Torah demands redress. Many have felt this deeply. Gedolei Yisroel see matters that others cannot see.”

{Matzav.com}

Rav Aharon Yitzchak Berenzweig, maggid shiur at Yeshivas Mir, visited the home of Hagaon Rav Moshe Hillel Hirsch, to seek clear guidance on a number of pressing questions raised by bochurim in recent times.

At the center of the meeting was a phenomenon that has become increasingly widespread in recent years: excessive drinking at weddings. Below is the full dialogue from the conversation from the Rosh Yeshiva’s home on Rechov Harav Sher in Bnei Brak.

Rav Berenzweig: There are several questions that bochurim have asked me, and I need clear guidance. First of all, there is a phenomenon now at weddings where bochurim have recently been drinking hard liquor…

Rav Hirsch: This has already been going on for several years. Several years already, yes.

Rav Berenzweig: Sometimes it even leads to damage. Many times they reach actual drunkenness.

Rav Hirsch: Yes, yes, it’s been going on for years already. This is not something new. It’s at least eight years already.

Rav Berenzweig: Still, the bochur says: first of all, I want to learn how I can overcome the pressure from the group.

Rav Hirsch: Who is the group that’s pulling him? It’s his friend, not some outside crowd.

Rav Berenzweig: It’s not an outside crowd. Whoever goes to a wedding, it’s usually his friends, bochurim.

Rav Hirsch: So they’re pulling him along. So what is the question?

Rav Berenzweig: How can he overcome it? How can he stand up to the group?

Rav Berenzweig: In general, this whole phenomenon pains me very much. I wanted several times to speak about it, because it’s something that doesn’t fit, especially for Shevet Levi.

Rav Hirsch: I think that a bochur, before going to a wedding, should open Mesillas Yesharim and learn Mesillas Yesharim for five minutes—what his purpose in life is, why he is here in the world, to cling to Hashem. In everything, to think about this. Then go to the wedding. Then he can’t drink; he can’t get drunk.

Rav Berenzweig: Meaning, beyond the regular seder of mussar, he should learn before he goes to a wedding?

Rav Hirsch: Yes. To remind himself who he is—who he is—that he is a Jew, that his purpose is to cling to Hashem. He is not just a random person. He is a Jew. He should remind himself of this.

Rav Warschauer: A bochur says that it’s simchas chassan v’kallah.

Rav Hirsch: There is no simchas chassan v’kallah in this. If simchas chassan v’kallah meant doing avodah zarah, that also wouldn’t be acceptable.

Rav Berenzweig: How can we prevent this so that the phenomenon really stops?

Rav Hirsch: Through speaking—only through speaking. To say it, to show how cheap this is, how inappropriate this whole thing is. It’s not fitting for a ben Torah. It’s not fitting for a civilized person. A civilized person doesn’t do this. Normal baalei batim don’t do this. Are they worse than this? A person should always be a person—at the very least a simple person with basic yiras Shamayim. All the more so a ben Torah, and all the more so again. You have to show them how this is wrong from every angle. Even a person with no yiras Shamayim at all wouldn’t do this. A normal person doesn’t do this. Kal vachomer a baal habayis with yiras Shamayim, and kal vachomer a ben Torah. This is an outright contradiction.

Rav Berenzweig: That’s what the Gemara says, that “a neveilah is better than him,” someone who drinks and gets drunk.

Rav Hirsch: “Kedoshim tihyu”—the Ramban.

Rav Berenzweig: Even at a wedding?

Rav Hirsch: Certainly, certainly, certainly! There is absolutely no heter for drunkenness!

Rav Berenzweig: So the Rosh Yeshiva is saying that it’s not advisable for there to be too much alcohol at a wedding?

Rav Hirsch: You can drink a little, but that’s it. There is no such thing beyond that. It’s better that there be none at all!

Rav Berenzweig: Now, there are a few more bochurim who asked me. At home, they feel a Shabbos atmosphere. There are homes that create a Shabbos spirit. There are many yeshivos that don’t make an issue out of the Shabbos atmosphere—songs and the like. They finish the meal quickly and go learn. The bochur says: I want to feel more of a Shabbos atmosphere. Can I suggest going home or not? Even though you don’t feel it, these are the sedorim of the yeshiva.

Rav Hirsch: Certainly he cannot go home. The question is what to do—that is the question. But I don’t think the hanhalah would be against having zemiros during the meal, having a short dvar Torah during the meal. You can do small things: there should be zemiros, someone should say a small dvar Torah for five minutes, there could be some kind of rotation.

Rav Berenzweig: Or in his section he could sit with a few bochurim who sing. Even by us in Yeshivas Mir, the Rosh Yeshiva—he should be well, Rav Eliezer Yehuda—he transformed the entire Shabbos atmosphere. The food is upgraded more than ever, and they sing there. It’s something that never existed before. The bochurim tell me: we enjoy being in Mir for Shabbos. But not every yeshiva has this.

Rav Hirsch: Correct. At the very least, upgrading the food is certainly a good thing if it’s possible to convince the hanhalah. But even without that, zemiros can certainly be done, and also some dvar Torah.

Rav Berenzweig: Even just for himself.

Rav Hirsch: But there can also be groups—small groups.

Rav Berenzweig: Now, there are two bochurim who asked me: if something damaging happened in their room, that they saw a form of corruption by a friend. We once asked the Rosh Yeshiva…about whether to go to a staff member. The Rosh Yeshiva said that if there is a wise mashgiach who knows not to spread it, one can tell him. But now the bochur doesn’t know who to go to. He doesn’t want the other bochur thrown out and then feel guilty.

Rav Hirsch: I think he can go to one of the avreichim and ask who on the staff he can speak to. In Mir I could say who, but I won’t say it here.

Participant: Usually it’s not Mir.

Rav Hirsch: In every place there is some kind of sub-mashgiach or meishiv. One can clarify who that is.

Rav Berenzweig: Meaning, to keep it within the yeshiva, but not necessarily senior staff?

Participant: Ask one of the avreichim.

Rav Hirsch: And that avreich will decide what to do.

Rav Berenzweig: Maybe someone from the community?

Rav Hirsch: No. Not the community. He should go to one of the avreichim in the yeshiva.

Rav Berenzweig: Now, a bochur asked me: he wants to learn Tanach. In yeshivos they don’t learn it. Should he have a rebbi, or when should he learn?

Rav Hirsch: On Shabbos he can learn Tanach with Malbim. If he wants faster, Tanach with Metzudos. If not, Malbim.

Rav Berenzweig: Last question. A bochur says he lacks feeling. Every day tefillah, seder aleph, seder beis—it feels repetitive. He wants renewal, emotion in tefillah, freshness in learning.

Rav Hirsch: Most likely his tefillah is not as it should be. He should learn what tefillah is, why it is avodah. And especially, he should learn Pesukei Dezimrah with Malbim.

Rav Berenzweig: That can be suggested to bochurim who want renewal in tefillah.

Rav Hirsch: Then Pesukei Dezimrah becomes something else, not just words. And in learning, he should try to be mechadesh. When a bochur is immersed in a new question in the sugya, that itself gives him renewal.

{Matzav.com}

The Rafah border crossing resumed activity on Monday, reopening to a tightly regulated flow of Gaza Strip residents under close IDF supervision. Operations are limited to a six-hour window each day, running from 9:00 a.m. until 3:00 p.m.

Israeli defense officials said they were encouraged by the results of the initial trial period. Under the current arrangement, as many as 150 Gaza residents may depart the territory daily, while entry from Egypt into Gaza is capped at 50 people per day. Day-to-day management of the crossing is being handled by the European Union Border Assistance Mission, working alongside Egyptian authorities.

Under the agreed procedure, Egypt is required to submit a daily roster of up to 50 individuals seeking permission to enter Gaza. Those names are reviewed through Israeli security checks, and only candidates who pass screening are cleared to cross on the following day.

At the same time, the European mission compiles a separate list of up to 150 Gaza residents requesting permission to leave the Strip, including details of their planned destinations. That list is then transferred to Egyptian officials, who decide which requests will be approved.

In preparation for reopening the crossing, and in accordance with instructions from Israel’s political leadership, the IDF recently completed a new security screening complex known as “Regavim.” The site, located in territory under IDF control, is operated by Israeli security agencies and is designed to tighten monitoring and security in the area.

At this facility, security personnel confirm identities against pre-approved Israeli databases and conduct comprehensive inspections of personal belongings. In addition, an Israeli-controlled remote technological system is used at the crossing exit point to block unauthorized individuals from passing through, eliminating the need for Israeli forces to be physically stationed at the crossing itself.

Only individuals who have received advance authorization are permitted to enter Gaza from Egypt. On the Gaza side, the crossing is run by local personnel under European supervision. After entering, approved travelers are transported by bus to the Israeli screening facility, where they undergo identity checks and physical inspections intended to prevent the transfer of weapons or prohibited equipment.

{Matzav.com}

United Torah Judaism MK Moshe Gafni said Sunday night that the demonstrations demanding the drafting of chareidim are not genuinely about bringing yeshiva bochurim into the IDF, but are instead part of a broader effort to bring down the current government.

Speaking in an interview on Kan Reshet Bet radio, Gafni dismissed the protesters’ stated goals. “They don’t actually want to take those who study Torah into the army – they just protest about everything,” he said.

He went on to argue that the draft issue is being used as a political weapon. “The Draft Law is a kind of mantra, a tool that can be used to bring down the government.” Gafni noted that the protests began even before the outbreak of the war and described a pattern in which demonstrators cycle through issues based on what gains traction. “What doesn’t succeed drops off the agenda, and what does succeed stays on the agenda,” he said, adding that he doubts the protests would stop even if yeshiva students were drafted in line with the demonstrators’ demands.

Gafni avoided laying out a definitive stance on the specific provisions of the draft law, proposed enlistment targets, or the parameters of Toraso Umnaso (“Torah as one’s profession”).

Still, he pointed to past hadracha from the gedolei Torah. “At the time, the leading gedolim said that anyone who is not studying Torah must not receive the Toraso Umnaso exemption. When the vote on the law comes, I – like my colleagues – will ask the gedolim, and if they instruct me to vote in favor, I will vote in favor.”

Addressing the possibility of rejoining the coalition, Gafni, who previously chaired the Knesset Finance Committee, said the decision would be a personal one. “If there comes a point where I feel I can be part of this coalition, I’ll return. If not, I won’t return.”

He stressed that he deliberately steers clear of public discussion about the draft in order “not to play into the hands of those who put it on the agenda in order to bring down the government.”

According to Gafni, the stability of the coalition ultimately rests with Prime Minister Bibi Netanyahu. “If Netanyahu truly addresses the existing problems and acts with full force, I assume the government will complete its term. If he doesn’t go into it with full force – and he knows how to work when he wants to – then it won’t complete its term.”

{Matzav.com}

A mechanical problem on an El Al flight from New York to Israel caused hours-long delays late Motzoei Shabbos, leaving the Sanzer Rebbe and his small entourage stranded at John F. Kennedy International Airport and forcing the cancellation of a planned reception in Netanya.

El Al Flight LY14, which was scheduled to depart JFK at 1:50 a.m. after Shabbos, was pushed back to approximately 6:40 a.m. due to the malfunction.

According to information obtained by Matzav.com, the aircraft was deemed unfit to fly, and passengers were told they would have to wait for another plane to land and be prepared before continuing on to Israel.

Among those affected was the Sanzer Rebbe, who was set to return to Israel following a multiweek visit to the United States that included extensive engagements with Sanz chassidim.

In Eretz Yisroel, a large public welcome had been planned for the Rebbe in Kiryat Sanz, Netanya, but organizers announced that the event has been canceled for the time being.

{Matzav.com}

More than 13,000 people from across Israel and from every segment of the chareidi public filled the Yerushalayim Arena last Wednesday for the first-ever chareidi construction and building expo, an event that quickly became a major talking point throughout the community.

Hundreds of business owners and executives from leading construction and building-related companies set up booths at the expo, which showcased the growing scope and professionalism of chareidi involvement in the building industry and marked what many described as a turning point for the sector.

The event drew not only tradesmen and entrepreneurs, but also senior public officials, mayors, philanthropists, and Knesset members. Several lawmakers left the Knesset in the middle of a stormy day of budget votes to attend, signaling support for chareidi craftsmen and business owners who support their families through hard work and personal effort.

Deputy Communications Minister Yisroel Eichler used the gathering to deliver a pointed message about chareidi economic self-sufficiency. Standing at the center of the expo in the upscale Porcellano ceramics booth, he told interviewer Ze’evi Breuer of the Xpoint strategy team: “They portrayed chareidim as people who don’t work and don’t pay taxes. That was never true, but now everyone sees it clearly — chareidim build, chareidim pay taxes, chareidim support one another and don’t need favors from anyone. We are economically independent, and when we are economically independent, no one can tell us how to educate our children.” MK Yitzchak Pindrus, who entered the Knesset in Eichler’s place, also arrived at the booth during the interview.

MK Yitzchak Goldknopf toured the expo at the head of an entourage and received a detailed briefing from Rabbi Nachum Frank, chairman of the Parnassah organization, which operates under the leadership of the Broder Rebbe. The Parnassah booth became a central hub connecting business activity with communal needs. One of the most talked-about attractions at the expo was a rotating “roulette” display, designed by strategist Yeshaya Sirota, which drew large crowds and conveyed the organization’s message in an engaging and accessible way, enabling staff to hold professional discussions with hundreds of visitors and employers.

MK Meir Porush arrived at the arena early, even before the dramatic developments in the Knesset unfolded. He conducted a brief tour and stopped at the Everest booth, a company specializing in modular structures and light construction, where he received an overview of the chareidi construction world.

Several chareidi mayors made a special trip to Yerushalayim to attend what many described as a historic event. Beit Shemesh Mayor Shmuel Greenberg insisted on coming despite a packed personal schedule that included his son’s wedding, his aide’s wedding, and sheva brachos. He stopped at the booth of metal artist Yoni Shmuel, where a caravan clad in Jerusalem stone was displayed, and called for promoting stone cladding for caravans in Beit Shemesh to improve the city’s public appearance.

While disagreements over the state budget dominated the Knesset, the mayors of Bnei Brak and Modi’in Illit, Chanoch Zeibert and Yaakov Gutterman, demonstrated unity by posing together for a photo at the booth of Do It, a company providing financing and credit solutions for developers and major contractors.

Representatives of chassidic communities and municipal officials were also present. Vizhnitz representative and Bnei Brak deputy mayor Shiki Mendel tried his luck at an interactive game at the Avigdor Lighting booth, while Beitar Illit deputy mayor and head of the chassidic faction Gedalyahu Eisenstein took part in an hourly raffle at the Decorativ curtains and décor booth.

The success of the expo was attributed to writer Rafael Wahl, Yisrael Levinger, and Chaim Friedman. Strategic consulting for the leading booths was provided by the Xpoint team led by Ze’evi Breuer, along with Moshe Siroka of Tovi Siroka Branding. The event was led and executed by the Malachtam organization, headed by Rabbi Yechezkel Klein and Rabbi Yitzchak Pinchas Twersky. Production was handled by Motti Bokchin, with printing by Moshe Heller of Graf100.

According to organizers, more than 13,000 people passed through the expo during the day. Rafael Wahl, chairman of the Zeh MiZeh initiative, said that construction is the primary area where chareidi money is spent, noting that the chareidi public invests billions of shekels each year in purchasing homes. He said there is no reason that this money should flow to suppliers and professionals outside the chareidi community, adding that the expo marked a historic milestone by proving that, with siyata diShmaya, a strong, independent, and thriving chareidi economy can be built.

As part of what was described as a day of unity for the chareidi construction world, leading chareidi developers offered free consultation meetings to hundreds of participants who scheduled sessions in advance. Malachtam’s leadership issued a statement thanking the senior developers and professionals who volunteered their time to provide personal guidance at no cost, with the goal of strengthening chareidi-owned construction businesses.

One of the highlights of the expo was a packed inaugural panel featuring major philanthropists in the Torah world and founders of Malachtam, including Reb Reuven Wolf, chairman of the Olam HaTorah Fund, Rabbi Aharon Margolies, Rabbi Yechezkel Klein, entrepreneur Shlomo Bruner, and businessman Motti Ben Moshe. Moderated by Rafael Wahl, the panel drew thousands and focused on the Malachtam initiative, the vision of building a flourishing chareidi economy grounded in Torah values, and the public responsibility to support Torah learning and those who devote their lives to it amid the challenges currently facing the chareidi world.

The level of enthusiasm was underscored by the fact that immediately after the expo concluded, dozens of exhibitors approached organizers to reserve booths already for the next chareidi construction expo, scheduled for the year 5787.

אקספו הבנייהצילום: יעקב נחומי, אריאל אוחנה, אברהם כהן אקספו הבנייהצילום: יעקב נחומי, אריאל אוחנה, אברהם כהן אקספו הבנייהצילום: יעקב נחומי, אריאל אוחנה, אברהם כהן אקספו הבנייהצילום: יעקב נחומי, אריאל אוחנה, אברהם כהן אקספו הבנייהצילום: יעקב נחומי, אריאל אוחנה, אברהם כהן

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Senator Lindsey Graham said Sunday that lasting stability in the Middle East will not come through negotiations with Tehran, arguing instead that the collapse of Iran’s ruling system is the only path to real peace.

Appearing on Fox News, the South Carolina Republican said the current moment presents a rare opportunity. “The biggest thing you could possibly do to the Middle East is take this regime down, and they’re as weak as they’ve ever been since 1979,” Graham said.

He directly appealed to President Donald Trump to act, adding, “Mr. President, you can do it, I hope you will do it.”

True peace for the Middle East begins when the Iranian regime falls. pic.twitter.com/JFz2yRMKOj

— Lindsey Graham (@LindseyGrahamSC) February 1, 2026

Graham’s remarks come as Trump continues to press Iran to reach an agreement with the United States over its nuclear ambitions, while repeatedly making clear that military action remains an option if talks fail.

On Sunday, Trump addressed comments from Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who had warned that if the United States initiates conflict, “they start a war, this time it will be a regional war.”

Speaking to reporters, Trump pointed to American naval strength in the area. “We have the biggest, most powerful ships in the world over there… hopefully, we’ll make a deal. If we don’t make a deal, then we’ll find out whether or not he was right,” he said.

A day earlier, Trump said Iran is “seriously talking” with U.S. officials and expressed hope that any agreement would require Tehran to abandon its nuclear weapons program.

While traveling aboard Air Force One, the president was asked again about the situation and emphasized that the U.S. has moved major military forces into the region.

“I hope they negotiate something that’s acceptable,” Trump told reporters.

On Friday, Trump suggested that Iran may be facing a firm choice between diplomacy and consequences, hinting at an ultimatum.

When asked whether Iran had been given a deadline before possible military action, Trump responded, “Only they know for sure.”

Pressed on whether that message had been delivered directly, he replied, “Yeah, I have.”

Trump also underscored the human cost of the ongoing tensions, saying, “We’ll see how it all works out, it’s a rough situation… a lot of people are being killed. I can say this, Iran wants to make a deal.”

He again highlighted U.S. military strength, adding, “We have a tremendously powerful fleet there. We have the most powerful ships in the world.”

Separately on Sunday, Axios reported that the Trump administration has sent messages to Tehran through multiple intermediaries indicating a willingness to meet and negotiate.

The report cited regional sources who said Turkey, Egypt, and Qatar are working behind the scenes to set up a meeting in Ankara later this week between White House envoy Steve Witkoff and senior Iranian officials.

{Matzav.com}

Candace Owens sparked a wave of reactions on social media after expressing confusion about why ice coating the trees around her home was not melting, despite temperatures hovering at 30 degrees Fahrenheit.

Writing on X after what she described as an internet outage, Owens said the icy conditions seemed unusual based on her past experience. “Back online after internet blackout. I grew up in Connecticut and have truly never seen an ice like this ever. The temperature is 30 degrees but the ice on our trees tops is not melting at all,” she wrote. “Never seen anything like this. Anybody else?”

She followed up by describing the ice as unusually stubborn and destructive. “I will take a video to show you guys what I mean but it’s almost like dry ice. And it’s taking out an absurd amount of trees. Again — 30 degrees and none of the ice is dripping from the trees.”

The explanation, however, is straightforward: ice remains frozen until temperatures reach its melting point of 32 degrees Fahrenheit.

Several users on X were quick to point this out, with some responding harshly.

“Maybe today Candace will learn that ice melts at 32 degrees, unless that was another Jewish lie too,” one commenter wrote.

“Are you stupid?” another user asked.

“LOL — you do realize 30 degrees is literally below freezing right!? Which is 32f,” another person replied. “I’m Canadian and run in Celsius and this is grade 2 level scientific fact.”

Owens later replied to a user who mentioned the freezing point, saying her original post lacked clarity.

“On my deck it’s always about 10 degrees warmer than the temperature because of the sun,” she wrote. “Will drop a video because we have a temperature gauge on the deck. Standby.”

{Matzav.com}

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