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A decades-old home movie that vanished from public view nearly half a century ago could resurface and dramatically reshape the long-running debate over President John F. Kennedy’s assassination, potentially lending support to claims that a second gunman was involved.

The grainy 8mm film was shot by Dallas air-conditioning repairman Orville Nix on Nov. 22, 1963, as shots rang out in Dealey Plaza. The footage has not been seen since 1978, when it was sent to a Los Angeles company for technical analysis and later came under federal control — even though federal officials now maintain that the government no longer possesses it.

Nix passed away in 1972, but his granddaughter continued a legal fight inherited from her late father to reclaim the film. She argues that the footage could be worth more than $900 million, believing it may hold crucial evidence related to what she sees as one of the most consequential coverups in American history.

That effort took a major step forward after a federal judge ruled that the dispute over ownership and custody of the film may proceed, opening the door for the footage to potentially be made public for the first time in decades.

Unlike the widely known Zapruder film, which captured the fatal head shot, Nix’s camera was aimed directly toward the grassy knoll — the area many eyewitnesses believed gunfire originated from. For years, critics of the lone-shooter theory have argued that a second assassin may have been positioned behind a fence on that rise.

Nix’s footage shows first lady Jackie Kennedy climbing onto the back of the presidential limousine moments after her husband was struck, along with a view of the fence atop the knoll. Supporters of further analysis believe advances in optics and artificial intelligence could now extract details previously impossible to detect, potentially challenging the conclusion that Lee Harvey Oswald acted alone.

“It’s really the only one that is known to have captured the grassy knoll area of Dealey Plaza right as the assassination occurs,” said Scott Watnick, an attorney representing Nix’s granddaughter, Gail Nix Jackson. He noted that the footage could reinforce a 1978 House Select Committee on Assassinations finding that Kennedy “was probably assassinated as a result of a conspiracy.” That congressional panel had obtained the Nix film during its investigation and played a role in the complicated legal history surrounding it.

“If we subjected the camera-original film to optics technology of 2026, we can certainly capture details in the film that we never could have captured when . . . the committee had the film in 1978,” Watnick said.

The FBI later disputed aspects of the House committee’s findings, publishing a 1980 analysis that challenged the acoustic evidence used to suggest a second shooter.

Over the past six decades, custody of the Nix film has shifted among multiple entities, including the FBI, United Press International, Congress, and a private Los Angeles firm, Aerospace Corp., which analyzed the footage and said it returned it to the National Archives. In 1988, the National Archives stated that it held only a copy, not the original. A Jan. 15 order by Court of Federal Claims Judge Stephen Schwartz now allows attorneys to pursue discovery aimed at clarifying what happened to the film and who controlled it.

The family’s legal argument relies on the Fifth Amendment, which bars the government from taking private property without providing “just compensation.”

At the same time, the 1992 JFK Records Act granted the government authority over assassination-related materials while establishing a framework for public disclosure.

The family’s valuation, however, could face skepticism. In 1999, an arbitration panel assessed the value of the more famous Zapruder film at $16 million, describing it as “a unique historical item of unprecedented worth.”

Attorneys for Nix Jackson say that valuation provides a baseline for what the Nix film may have been worth decades ago, but they argue that the government’s prolonged possession warrants substantial additional compensation.

“If one were to say this film is worth what that one is worth as of ’92, and you apply 32 years of compound interest at a quarterly compound basis, you start to get numbers in the many many hundred of millions,” Watnick said. One “preliminary estimate” reached by his team was $930 million.

The lawsuit, however, is not solely about money. Nix’s son, Orville Nix Jr., died in July, delaying parts of the case. His granddaughter’s legal team says the proceedings could force new disclosures about how the government has handled assassination-related materials, including fragments of Kennedy’s brain and recordings of internal communications among Dallas police on the day of the shooting.

“This is evidence of a murder, after all, of our nation’s president,” Watnick said. “So it’s even more important that we know where these records are.” The attorneys say they are unwilling to accept official assurances at face value, citing several key items they claim have become “unlocated” over the years, including the original supplementary autopsy report, as many as three autopsy photographs, and Kennedy’s brain.

The National Archives and Records Administration did not respond to a request for comment.

The 1964 Warren Commission concluded that Oswald acted alone in firing from the Texas School Book Depository as Kennedy’s motorcade passed below, but its findings have been questioned by critics for decades, keeping the assassination at the center of one of the most enduring controversies in American history.

{Matzav.com}

The Department of Transportation warned Thursday that a prolonged partial government shutdown would result in the furlough of more than 10,000 Federal Aviation Administration employees, while thousands of air traffic controllers would be required to remain on the job without pay.

According to the shutdown contingency plan released by the department, 13,835 air traffic controllers would be deemed essential and ordered to continue working during the funding lapse. The prospect has raised alarms about added stress on an already strained aviation system as the shutdown stretches on.

The funding impasse is expected to last until at least Tuesday, as House Democrats have not yet agreed to supply the votes necessary to expedite passage of a spending package that would reopen the government.

In a notice posted on its website, the Department of Transportation acknowledged the operational impact of the funding gap, stating, “Portions of DOT are affected by a lapse in appropriations.” The agency warned that “Website information may be outdated, transactions may be delayed, and inquiries may not be answered until funding is restored.”

The aviation industry has experienced significant disruption during past shutdowns. During last year’s extended funding lapse, the system saw widespread fallout, including more than 4,500 flight cancellations over a single weekend in mid-November and scaled-back operations at dozens of airports across the country.

Concerns about aviation safety have also remained elevated over the past year following several serious incidents, including a deadly collision in January 2025 between an Army helicopter and an American Airlines flight.

President Donald Trump weighed in on the situation, urging lawmakers to act swiftly to bring the shutdown to an end. “So hopefully enough people will use their heads,” Trump said, warning that a prolonged lapse in government funding would be “not a good thing for the country.”

{Matzav.com}

The Trump administration has conveyed to Iran through several indirect channels that it is willing to hold talks aimed at reaching an agreement, according to a senior U.S. official cited by Axios.

The outreach comes at a moment of heightened tension, as President Trump has ordered a substantial American military buildup in the Persian Gulf. That show of force has raised the stakes, amplifying concerns over whether diplomacy can still prevent a U.S. strike on Iran and stop the situation from spiraling into a broader regional conflict.

At the same time, Turkey, Egypt, and Qatar are working behind the scenes to arrange a meeting later this week in Ankara between White House envoy Steve Witkoff and senior Iranian officials, according to two regional sources familiar with the effort. One official involved in the mediation said the process is advancing, telling Axios, “It is moving. We are doing our best.” A second U.S. official separately confirmed that a meeting between American and Iranian representatives could indeed take place this week in Turkey.

The three countries pushing the talks are the same ones that previously coordinated with the Trump administration on the Gaza ceasefire, and they now see U.S.–Iran negotiations as a way to prevent a wider regional war. White House officials stress that President Trump has not made a final decision on whether to strike Iran and continues to leave the door open to a diplomatic solution. U.S. officials also say that Trump’s recent public comments about negotiations are not a bluff, though they acknowledge there is still uncertainty over whether Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei will authorize his diplomats to agree to terms that Washington would accept.

According to sources, Qatar, Egypt, and Turkey have been in contact with both Washington and Tehran, coordinating their efforts and attempting to build momentum toward direct engagement. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said Sunday in an interview with CNN that “friendly countries” are working to build confidence between Iran and the United States, describing those efforts as “fruitful.” He added, “I see the possibility of another talk if the U.S. negotiations team follows what President Trump said: to come to a fair and equitable deal to ensure there are no nuclear weapons.”

Over the weekend, Qatari Prime Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani traveled to Tehran, where he met with Ali Larijani, the secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council and a close confidant of Khamenei. Shortly after that meeting, Larijani wrote on X that a “formation of a framework for negotiations is progressing.” Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi also became directly involved, speaking by phone on Saturday with Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian and urging him to agree to a meeting with Trump administration officials. A day earlier, Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan hosted Iran’s foreign minister and discussed possible venues and agenda items for a potential meeting with White House representatives.

President Trump addressed the issue publicly on Saturday night while speaking to reporters aboard Air Force One, expressing cautious optimism that talks could yield an acceptable outcome. “I hope they negotiate something that is acceptable. … They can negotiate a deal that would be satisfactory, no nuclear weapons. etc. They should do that. I don’t know that they will. But they are talking to us. Seriously talking to us,” Trump said.

In contrast, Iran’s supreme leader struck a confrontational tone the following day. Speaking in Tehran on Sunday, Khamenei accused the United States of seeking to dominate Iran and seize its natural resources, claiming Washington wants to “devour” the country and take over its oil, gas, and minerals. “The Americans should know if they start a war, this time it will be a regional war,” he warned, making no reference to negotiations.

When asked later about Khamenei’s remarks, Trump pointed to the American military presence already deployed in the region. He said the United States has “the biggest, most powerful ships in the world over there,” and added, “Hopefully we’ll make a deal. If we don’t make a deal, then we’ll find out whether or not he was right.”

As diplomatic maneuvering continues, military coordination between allies is also underway. IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir traveled to Washington on Friday and Saturday for meetings with Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Dan Caine, where the two discussed the possibility of a U.S. strike against Iran. U.S. and Israeli officials said the low-profile visit focused on briefing one another on defensive measures and potential offensive plans should a war with Iran break out.

{Matzav.com}

Mountains of garbage crawling with rats have overtaken streets surrounding Gracie Mansion, leaving nearby residents furious as the mayor’s immediate block appears meticulously cleared, according to a report by the New York Post.

In the Upper East Side neighborhood surrounding the mayor’s residence, locals say they are navigating filthy sidewalks lined with trash bags, scurrying rodents, and snowbanks soaked with dog urine more than a week after Winter Storm Fern. Meanwhile, the stretch outside Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s home on East 88th Street has been cleared with what residents described as extraordinary care.

“I couldn’t believe it when I saw yesterday — a whole army of sanitation workers plowing and shoveling every bit of snow off of that side of the street,” resident Nick Rivers told The Post on Sunday as he walked his black Labrador past garbage-strewn sidewalks near the mayor’s residence.

“Clean as a whistle for the mayor,” Rivers said. “Look at this side.”

The contrast, he said, could not be sharper. Nearby blocks are dominated by towering piles of trash reaching as high as six feet, which residents say have been sitting for days and drawing rats. The scene unfolded even as Mamdani publicly praised the city’s response late last week, asserting that things were under control despite residents struggling through frigid conditions.

On surrounding streets, some of the debris mounds are even worse, with trash stacks reportedly climbing to nearly eight feet.

“I’m new to the job,” the mayor said Friday. “I know the burdens will get heavier, but right now I struggle to imagine how it could be better.”

Residents say he need only step outside his immediate surroundings to see otherwise.

“Don’t get me started. I think his wife must have complained about the pee in the snow,” said Attel, who lives on West 88th Street. “I don’t even look when I come out of the building.

“It’s gross!” he added. “The rats are inside the recycling bags.”

Another neighbor described similar conditions, saying, “My street is lined with bags, many of them opened with crap all over the street.

“My daughter had to dodge a used sanitary pad.”

The spotless conditions outside Gracie Mansion stand in stark contrast not only to nearby blocks but to other areas of the city, where uncollected trash and rodent-infested snowbanks have become commonplace in the aftermath of the storm.

In a statement issued Sunday, a spokesperson for the city’s Sanitation Department said that clearing snow and ice from sidewalks is the responsibility of property owners, not the city, though garbage collection remains a municipal duty.

The spokesperson added that roughly 2,500 sanitation workers are currently working 12-hour shifts to clear bus stops, crosswalks, and fire hydrants, which has pushed garbage collection a day behind schedule.

“We are prioritizing trash and composting — stuff gets gross — over recyclables,” the statement said. “But we are picking up all streams, all across the city, just on slight delay.

“Most New Yorkers will recall that this is standard practice during and after winter weather events.”

A representative from the city parks department echoed similar remarks, saying crews are focused first on bus stops, crosswalks, wheelchair ramps, and fire hydrants.

“Once that has been addressed we will be able to resume our standard maintenance schedule.”

Those explanations offered little comfort to residents living amid the mess.

“It’s the most vile thing,” said Josh Tepper, a lifelong New Yorker who overlooks Gracie Mansion from his apartment.

“I think it’s the worst in New York history.

“His one strip is nice, but where all the ‘civilians’ live, it’s a complete disaster,” Tepper said of Mamdani. “The socialist king gets to have a clean driveway. It just makes me enraged.”

Others echoed the frustration.

“It’s very dirty,” said Upper East Side resident Frederick Radie. “Actually, we have people visiting, and it’s a little embarrassing.”

Chris Kendal, another local resident, described the situation as “very concerning.”

“They usually pick the recycle up on a Monday … so it’s almost been a week,” Kendal said over the weekend.

“I don’t know why they can’t pick it up. I mean, buses are still running, and the city is still operating. So I’m not sure why they’re not able to reduce some of the garbage on the streets.”

Similar scenes were reported elsewhere in the city. In The Bronx, trash was piled along the Grand Concourse just a block from where Mamdani held a public event yesterday.

“Every time it snows, it gets worse,” a nearby resident said. “Right now, the people in the neighborhood they cleaned up as much as we could, but the city hasn’t really being doing much.

“Like down the block by the courthouse, they clean that up,” the resident added. “The garbage attracts more rats, and it makes the neighborhood look bad.”

{Matzav.com}

Andrew Cuomo is making a return to the public arena, this time behind a radio microphone rather than in elected office.

The former New York governor has secured a weekly Sunday program on 77 WABC, The Post has learned, marking his first sustained media role since leaving office.

The one-hour show, titled “The Pulse of the People,” is scheduled to debut this Sunday at 5 p.m. and will air weekly.

According to a source familiar with the arrangements, Cuomo will not be paid for the role, a decision intended to allow him full freedom of expression while avoiding potential conflicts of interest.

“This is a moment when our country has rarely felt more divided, politics more polarizing and public discourse more toxic,” Cuomo said in a statement to The Post.

“Pulse of the People is about cutting through the noise and the rancor to have real, substantive, fact-based conversations about the issues that actually affect people’s lives. I’ve spent my career focused on making government work and getting results, and that’s the same straight-forward, problem-solving approach I’ll bring to this program.”

The move was welcomed by John Catsimatidis, the owner of WABC, who emphasized the interactive nature of the broadcast.

“The show will focus on listener calls and open discussion about the issues, concerns, and views of New Yorkers. WABC believes in bipartisan conversation and thoughtful discussion of solutions, and we invite listeners to tune in and be part of the discussion,” Catsimatidis said.

Cuomo is expected to begin the program with opening remarks before taking calls from listeners.

The radio show represents Cuomo’s first significant step back into the public spotlight since his unsuccessful attempt to revive his political career last year. He lost the Democratic primary for mayor to Zohran Mamdani and was defeated again in the general election after running on an independent line.

Cuomo served as New York governor from 2011 until 2021, when he resigned amid allegations of misconduct, which he has denied. Earlier in his career, he held the posts of New York state attorney general and U.S. housing secretary during the Clinton administration.

{Matzav.com}

A brief but highly charged incident unfolded on Sunday in the Ramot Gimmel neighborhood of Yerushalayim, where a talmid from Yeshivas Ohel Yosef was detained in public and later released following swift legal intervention. After his release, it became clear that a key detail reported at the outset of the incident was incorrect.

The episode began in the early afternoon, when a patrol vehicle identified the yeshiva student standing outside his home after returning from a Shabbos break. Officers approached him and detained him in full view of passersby, sparking confusion and alarm in the neighborhood.

As news of the detention spread, the legal department of Chayei Olam immediately became involved. Attorneys Shlomo Haddad and Itay Cohen acted quickly with the relevant authorities, and within a short time, confirmation was received that the student had been released and returned home.

Following his release, additional details emerged that clarified the circumstances of the incident and corrected earlier reports. Contrary to initial claims that the arrest had been carried out by the Military Police inside the neighborhood, it was determined that the bochur had in fact been detained for questioning during a routine check conducted by officers of the Border Police and was then transferred to military authorities.

The earlier reports, which fueled a wave of concern and anger, were the result of confusion at the scene amid the commotion surrounding the detention.

In a statement issued after tensions had subsided, Chayei Olam clarified the sequence of events, saying that “the report that the detention was carried out by the Military Police stemmed from a case of mistaken identification at the time of the incident, and we apologize for the error.”

The organization noted that despite the clarification, the public detention of a yeshiva bochur in broad daylight in a chareidi neighborhood remains a serious matter. However, they emphasized that the rapid legal response prevented a prolonged detention and brought the episode to a swift conclusion.

{Matzav.com}

Israeli opposition leader Yair Lapid has submitted a bill that would formally designate Qatar as an “enemy state,” a move that would impose sweeping economic and criminal restrictions on the Gulf emirate similar to those applied to Iran and Syria.

The legislation is expected to be brought to a vote in the Knesset on Monday. If adopted, all provisions of Israeli law that apply to enemy states would also apply to Qatar, significantly altering the legal and diplomatic framework governing Israel’s relations with the country.

According to the explanatory notes attached to the bill, while Israeli law does not contain a single, comprehensive definition of the term “enemy state,” multiple statutes already address relations with enemies, either directly or indirectly. The proposal cites the Trading with the Enemy Ordinance of 1939—adopted from the British Mandate—which authorizes the finance minister to determine countries with which trade is prohibited, currently including Syria, Iraq, Iran, and Lebanon. It also references Section 91 of Israel’s Penal Code (1977), which defines an enemy as any entity engaged in hostilities or a state of war against Israel, whether formally declared or not, including terrorist organizations.

Lapid’s bill goes beyond general definitions and spells out specific criminal offenses that would apply to interactions with Qatar, including aiding the enemy during wartime, serving in enemy forces, and transmitting information to the enemy. The proposal further notes that Section 7 of Basic Law: The Knesset prohibits anyone from running for parliament if they support an enemy state or have unlawfully stayed in one during the seven years preceding their candidacy.

The rationale behind the legislation, as outlined in the bill, centers on Qatar’s alleged ongoing activity against Israeli interests. The explanatory text states that Qatar supports and finances terrorist organizations fighting Israel, foremost among them Hamas, and notes that senior Hamas leaders are hosted in Qatar and operate from its territory. The proposal also points to the use of Al Jazeera as what it describes as a propaganda apparatus serving hostile objectives.

If passed, the bill would mark a significant escalation in Israel’s formal stance toward Qatar, with far-reaching legal, economic, and political consequences.

{Matzav.com}

In his weekly shiur last night at the Yazdim Shul, former Sephardic Chief Rabbi Rav Yitzchak Yosef shared a personal and little-known family story explaining why his father, Chacham Ovadia Yosef zt”l, made a lifelong decision to decline serving as sandek at the bris of twins.

Rav Yosef revealed that the decision stemmed from a traumatic incident many years earlier. According to his account, his father once served as sandek for twin boys. Several weeks later, one of the infants tragically passed away. The event left a profound mark on Rav Ovadia, who feared that serving as sandek for two children in succession might involve ayin hara.

“After that,” Rav Yitzchak Yosef related, “my father was afraid. He said perhaps it was ayin hara, that one person was sandek for two children one after the other.” From that point on, whenever Rav Ovadia was invited to such a bris, he firmly declined to serve as sandek for both infants, saying, “I will sit for one—bring someone else for the second.” Rav Yosef added that his father carried genuine pain over the episode and consistently refused thereafter.

During the same shiur, Rav Yosef offered practical guidance regarding the laws and customs of bris milah. He emphasized the importance of choosing a sandek who is a talmid chacham, while noting that the primary requirement for the mohel is professional competence. “A sandek, it is important to choose a talmid chochom,” he said. “As for the mohel, what matters most is that he knows how to perform the milah. If he is also a talmid chochom and available, that is preferable, but otherwise one may choose a skilled mohel.”

Rav Yosef also addressed tefillah customs on the day of a bris, stating clearly that when a bris milah takes place on Tu B’Shevat, vidui is not recited. He mentioned having heard a stringent ruling from another rov who suggested that if a bris is held late in the afternoon, vidui should still be said, even proposing a “penalty” for delaying the bris. Rav Yosef rejected that approach.

He concluded with sharp criticism of the practice of postponing a bris milah until the afternoon hours. Citing the ruling of the Or Zarua, he stressed that delaying the milah is considered a ביזוי מצוה, a degradation of the mitzvah. “Why do a bris at two in the afternoon?” he asked pointedly. “A person waits years, davens, perhaps has many daughters and finally merits a son—and then he delays the bris until the afternoon?” He urged parents to perform the bris before midday whenever possible, reiterating that delaying it unnecessarily diminishes the honor of the mitzvah.

{Matzav.com}

The White House stands about 70 feet tall. The Lincoln Memorial, roughly 100 feet. The triumphal arch President Donald Trump wants to build would eclipse both if he gets his wish.

Trump has grown attached to the idea of a 250-foot-tall structure overlooking the Potomac River, according to two people who spoke on the condition of anonymity to describe his comments, a scale that has alarmed some architectural experts who initially supported the idea of an arch but expected a far smaller one.

The planned Independence Arch is intended to commemorate the United States’ 250th anniversary. Built to Trump’s specifications, it would transform a small plot of land between the Lincoln Memorial and Arlington National Cemetery into a dominant new monument, reshaping the relationship between the two memorials and obstructing pedestrians’ views.

Trump has considered smaller versions of the arch, including 165-foot-high and 123-foot-high designs he shared at a dinner last year. But he has favored the largest option, arguing that its sheer size would impress visitors to Washington, and that “250 for 250” makes the most sense, the people said.

Architectural experts counter that the size of the monument – installed in the center of a traffic circle – would distort the intent of the surrounding memorials.

“I don’t think an arch that large belongs there,” said Catesby Leigh, an art critic who conceived of a more modest, temporary arch in a 2024 essay – an idea that his allies championed and brought to the White House. His allies also passed along Leigh’s recommendation of an architect, Nicolas Leo Charbonneau, who has been retained by the White House to work on the project.

Charbonneau did not respond to requests for comment.

Asked about the arch’s height, the White House on Saturday referred to the president’s previous comments.

“The one that people know mostly is the Arc de Triomphe in Paris, France. And we’re gonna top it by, I think, a lot,” Trump said at a White House Christmas reception in December.

The Arc de Triomphe – already one of the world’s largest triumphal arches – measures 164 feet.

Trump also told Politico in December that he hoped to begin construction of the arch within two months, a timeline that appears unlikely given that White House officials have yet to make the final plans public or submit them to federal review panels. Memorial Circle, the plot of land that the president has eyed, is controlled by the National Park Service.

The White House reiterated the president’s desire to have an iconic monument.

The arch will become “one of the most iconic landmarks not only in Washington, D.C., but throughout the world,” spokesman Davis Ingle said in a statement sent to The Washington Post after this article’s publication. “President Trump’s bold vision will be imprinted upon the fabric of America and be felt by generations to come.”

Washington does not have a triumphal arch, making it unusual among major cities that have built arches to commemorate wars and celebrate milestones, and some historians and civic leaders have long argued that such a monument is needed.

Rodney Mims Cook Jr., an Atlanta-based developer and president of the National Monuments Foundation, proposed a peace arch to Washington leaders in 2000 before the plans were withdrawn in the wake of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. Cook later built a monumental arch in Atlanta, the Millennium Gate Museum, intended to celebrate Georgia’s history.

Trump this month appointed Cook to the Commission of Fine Arts, a federal panel that would be set to review and approve the design of new monuments in Washington – including the president’s potential arch.

Trump on Jan. 23 also posted images on his Truth Social platform with no comment that depict three versions of a large triumphal arch, including one option with gold gilding – a hallmark of Trump’s construction projects. Asked about the president’s post, White House officials said that the arch design continues to be refined. The White House also said the plan to put a large Lady Liberty statue atop the arch, which was included in previous concepts presented by Trump and Charbonneau but not in the president’s Truth Social post, has not been abandoned.

City planners have eyed the land around what is now Memorial Circle for more than a century. A 1901-1902 report overseen by the Senate Park Commission, which laid the groundwork to construct the National Mall and beautify much of the city’s core, appears to envision some sort of structure in the circle, drawings show. Architect William Kendall in 1928 also presented plans to the Commission of Fine Arts to construct a memorial there.

Local historians and architectural experts have said that a large arch could change the relationship between several historic sites, including Arlington Memorial Bridge itself, which was intended as a bridge between North and South in the wake of the Civil War, and memorials for Lincoln and Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee.

“It’s a very somber corridor,” said John Haigh, the chair of Benedictine College’s architecture program, who visited Memorial Circle with his students last year to consider the arch project. “We discussed the gravity of putting an arch there,” particularly one intended to be triumphal.

The structure as planned could obstruct views of Arlington House, the former Lee estate that sits on a hillside in Arlington National Cemetery.

“I would be very concerned about the scale,” said Calder Loth, a retired senior architectural historian for the Virginia Department of Historic Resources, warning that a 250-foot-high arch could alter pedestrians’ views as they approach Arlington National Cemetery from Washington. “It would make Arlington House just look like a dollhouse – or you couldn’t see it all, with the arch blocking the view.”

They also cautioned that, barring major changes to the circle, it could be difficult for pedestrians to visit a potential monument there, given the busy motor traffic.

Loth also invoked the vantage point from Arlington National Cemetery, where visitors often look across the river toward the Lincoln Memorial and the capital beyond – a view he said the proposed arch would reshape.

“How does it impact the panorama of Washington?” Loth said, invoking a question that he said should guide designers of monuments. “What is supposed to be doing the speaking?”

Leigh initially proposed a 60-foot arch that could pop up as a temporary structure to mark America’s 250th. Trump instead wants a permanent arch, more than four times larger, funded with leftover private donations to his White House ballroom project, which he has said could cost about $400 million. Publicly identified donors to the ballroom project, such as Amazon, Google and Lockheed Martin, collectively have billions of dollars in contracts before the administration.

Any construction plan for the arch would probably need to go through several review panels and potentially require the sign-off of Congress, given laws around constructing monuments in Washington.

Trump’s interest in enlarging the arch mirrors his desire to expand the White House ballroom, which last year sparked clashes with James McCrery II, the architect initially tapped for the project. Shalom Baranes, the architect now leading that work, told federal review panels this month that White House officials have halted plans to make the ballroom even larger.

Leigh suggested a compromise location that could allow Trump his large monument without imposing on other structures.

“If you’re going to build an arch that big, you should build it in another part of town and one possible site that comes to mind is Barney Circle,” Leigh said, referencing a site in Southeast Washington next to Congressional Cemetery, overlooking the Anacostia River. “There’s nothing around it competing with it.”

(c) 2026, The Washington Post 

{Matzav.com}

Anger is mounting across New York City as residents confront growing piles of trash lining sidewalks more than a week after a major winter storm buried the city under over a foot of snow, with garbage collection still lagging behind, according to the NY Post.

The scope of the problem was on full display overnight, when a Post reporter encountered stacks of garbage bags and flattened cardboard boxes clogging sidewalks in multiple neighborhoods, the result of sanitation crews struggling to keep up after the storm.

On the Upper East Side, one resident complained that a trash pile near his home has grown “higher than a car.”

“It’s very dirty,” Frederick Radie, 55, told The NY Post, saying garbage has gone untouched “since the first snowfall last weekend.”

The longtime resident, who has lived in the area for 35 years, said the situation has become awkward with guests in town. “Actually, we have people visiting, and it’s a little embarrassing,” he said, while his partner, Mirys Rosa, blasted Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s calls for patience.

“This was like two weeks ago,” the 61-year-old said angrily, describing the trash-filled streets as “so gross, it’s disgusting.”

City sanitation officials said Wednesday that limited garbage collection had resumed and instructed residents to place trash curbside as normal, though recycling should be held back. Officials cautioned that delays would continue as snow removal efforts remain ongoing.

By Saturday, the Department of Sanitation acknowledged to The Post that operations were still running behind schedule, citing only “slight delays.”

“We are prioritizing trash and composting (the stuff that gets gross), but New Yorkers can follow their regular schedule,” a department spokesperson said.

“We are running hundreds of collection trucks each day in addition to ongoing snow operations. We just ask for patience as we catch up.”

For many residents, however, that patience is quickly evaporating.

“It’s very concerning,” said Chris Kendal, 38.

“They usually pick the recycle up on a Monday, so it’s Saturday, so it’s almost been a week. I don’t know why they can’t pick it up. I mean, buses are still running, and the city is still operating. So I’m not sure why they’re not able to reduce some of the garbage on the streets.”

Not everyone was critical. Another Upper East Side resident said that while the trash buildup is an “eyesore,” sanitation workers have been overwhelmed for much of the month.

In the Bronx, conditions were no better. Garbage bags were scattered along the Grand Concourse, just a block from where Mamdani appeared at a public event Saturday afternoon.

A 51-year-old resident of the 5.2-mile historic boulevard said trash has been accumulating for nearly three days and warned that the problem is escalating as homeless individuals rip open bags searching for usable items.

“Every time it snows, it gets worse,” said the Local 157 union member.

“Right now, the people in the neighborhood, they cleaned up as much as we could, but the city hasn’t really been doing much, like down the block by the courthouse, they clean that up. The garbage attracts more rats and it makes the neighborhood look bad.”

Similar complaints surfaced on the Upper West Side, where recycling bags have crowded streets. Doorman Angel Martinez said nothing has been removed since Jan. 19, close to two weeks ago.

“Once in a while that happens where there is a big storm,” he said.

“Hopefully they’ll come soon.”

{Matzav.com}

In a lengthy profile published by The New York Times, the paper took an in-depth look at Mr. Jacob Kornbluh, the chassidic journalist who has earned a prominent place among reporters covering New York City’s new mayor. The article explored the tension between Kornbluh’s professional role—working closely with Mayor Zohran Mamdani—and his life within the chassidic community of Boro Park, as well as how he defines his own identity: a chassidic journalist or a journalist who is chassidic.

Kornbluh, 44, a resident of Boro Park, serves as the senior political reporter for The Forward. He has established himself as the most visible chassidic journalist following Mamdani’s rise in city politics, particularly amid tensions between the mayor and New York’s Jewish community over Mamdani’s anti-Israel positions.

Sources in the mayor’s circle told the Times that they view Kornbluh as a key channel for communicating with Jewish voters. Mamdani himself praised the journalist, saying he is “a thoughtful and enterprising reporter who doesn’t just cover the conversation across the five boroughs, but helps drive it.”

The Times profile noted that despite the administration’s outreach, Kornbluh maintains a critical stance. During a press conference at the mayor’s residence, Kornbluh quipped as he invited himself to dine there, saying, “Since you won’t be serving pork, I’d be honored to eat in your kitchen.” He then pressed Mamdani with a pointed question about the delayed condemnation of demonstrations that included pro-Hamas chants, asking, “Do you think it’s fair to criticize the timing?”

Kornbluh’s professional visibility has also created ongoing friction within the chassidic community in Boro Park. He told the Times that he is often met with taunts in shul. “People say, ‘Oh, go back to covering Zohran,’” Kornbluh recounted. “They needle me as if I’m the one enabling him.”

He said that the contrast between his work in secular political circles and his communal life raises eyebrows among those around him. “In our community, if you’re Orthodox, you stay in your Orthodox circle—with the clothing, with the same people,” he explained.

Kornbluh added that he has faced harsh reactions over photos of himself with women and similar issues. “I’ve gotten nasty comments about pictures with women and all that stuff. ‘Hey, I’m a professional journalist.’ ‘What’s a professional journalist? We don’t need that,’” he recalled.

His path into journalism was anything but conventional. Kornbluh grew up in London in a Belzer chassidishe family and studied in yeshivos in Israel, where he began developing an interest in politics. “The next day, I’d go to yeshiva and relay all that news to my classmates. I was kind of a reporter,” he said.

After immigrating to New York, he spent years working at food stands and in a pizzeria in Boro Park, while running a political blog and using digital tools to improve his writing. “My English was terrible,” he admitted about his early days.

In recent years, Kornbluh has become a regular presence at political events, from election coverage to celebrations in the Jewish community.

Hanging above his desk in the newsroom is a photograph of himself reporting from Israel after the events of October 7. Pointing to it with a smile, he said, “That’s my Zionist photo. Sorry, Zohran.”

Despite the complexity of his position, Kornbluh insists he sees no contradiction between his way of life and his profession. At home in Boro Park, as he prepares for Shabbos while listening to updates from the mayor’s office, he sums up his professional identity: “I’m a member of the community, and I have a profession. I’m not this ‘chassidic journalist.’ I’m a journalist who is chassidic.”

{Matzav.com}

Egged has agreed to compensate a passenger with NIS 40,000 after one of its drivers ordered him to get off a bus on the grounds that it was a “girls-only” route. The passenger sued the company, alleging unlawful discrimination and a violation of his right to dignity and equality. Egged said the driver acted contrary to company procedures and that disciplinary measures were taken against him, while the Ministry of Transportation announced that a criminal investigation has been opened.

The incident involved Egged and occurred about a year ago on Line 91 in Haifa, according to a report by N12. The plaintiff, Saar Koren, a 27-year-old Technion student who lives in the city, said he was stunned when he was told to leave the bus.

“It was Friday afternoon and I had a few errands to run. I wanted to get to the Ziv Center in the city. On my phone I saw that the first bus going there was 91, a line I hadn’t used before. The bus was full of chareidi girls returning from school, around age 9,” Koren recalled.

He said that during the ride, “the girls shouted at me to get off, because ‘this is a girls-only bus.’ They went over to the driver after realizing I didn’t intend to get off. In the meantime, at one of the stops a chareidi passerby boarded and also asked me to get off. At some point the driver intervened and told me he was sorry, that he hadn’t known, but that he was asking me to get off because I ‘need to respect that this is a girls-only bus,’ and that he wasn’t prepared to continue driving until I got off.”

According to Koren, he argued with the driver for several minutes over whether removing a passenger in this manner was lawful, until he eventually got off the bus feeling “humiliated and shaken.”

Koren filed suit against Egged on the grounds of “unlawful discrimination and harm to the right to dignity and equality.” The parties ultimately reached a settlement under which Egged agreed to pay him NIS 40,000, and now the Magistrate’s Court in Rishon LeZion gave the settlement the force of a court judgment.

In a response, Egged said, “The driver acted in complete contradiction to company instructions and procedures, and disciplinary steps were taken against him. The company regrets the incident and emphasizes that it will continue to act to ensure equal and respectful service for the entire public.”

The Ministry of Transportation said in a statement: “The Ministry of Transportation, together with the National Public Transportation Authority, treats any claim of exclusion or discrimination in public transportation with severity. This is a public route open to all passengers, and any deviation from this is contrary to the ministry’s guidelines and the law. Following the complainant’s approach to the Ministry of Transportation, he was summoned and gave testimony on the matter. The case was examined and a criminal investigation was opened, which was conducted in full by investigators from the National Public Transportation Authority.

“The Ministry of Transportation and the National Public Transportation Authority will continue to act decisively to ensure that public transportation services are provided in an equal, respectful manner and without any discrimination, in accordance with the law and official guidelines.”

Israel’s Attorney General, Gali Baharav-Miara, sent a sharply worded letter on Sunday addressing the implementation of the High Court ruling on the enlistment of yeshiva students, asserting that draft evasion within the chareidi sector has sharply intensified and raising the striking claim that the police do not approve requests by the Military Police to operate in chareidi neighborhoods.

The letter was submitted in response to petitions filed with the High Court of Justice and focused on what Baharav-Miara described as failures in enforcement. She wrote that the number of chareidi draft dodgers, as termed in the letter, had surged within a short period, describing “an increase of hundreds of percent in a very brief time.”

According to the data cited, as of January 2026 there are 15,085 draft dodgers from the chareidi community, compared with just 2,257 in July 2025. The figures further indicate that out of approximately 71,000 draft dodgers nationwide, “about 80 percent belong to the chareidi public.”

Despite the sharp rise, military officials reported what they described as a “certain trend of improvement and increase,” with an estimated 1,100 chareidi recruits expected during the current draft period.

During discussions on the matter, the attorney general said the situation on the ground reflects what she termed “selective enforcement.” Military officials told the meeting that, as a rule, Israel Police do not grant approval for Military Police to carry out enforcement actions inside chareidi neighborhoods.

It was also revealed that chareidi draft dodgers who are detained in what were described as random police arrests are, in practice, released and merely issued a summons to report to a Military Police facility. Responding to police claims of severe manpower shortages, Baharav-Miara stressed that “the need for resources cannot, in and of itself, justify an actual avoidance of enforcing the law.”

In response to the situation, the Israel Defense Forces announced a significant tightening of measures against draft dodgers. The Military Prosecution has decided to lower the threshold for criminal prosecution for draft evasion from 540 days of absence to 365 days. In addition, disciplinary regulations were amended to allow judicial officers to impose up to 35 days of detention, instead of the previous 30. It was further determined that a draft dodger absent for more than six months who undergoes disciplinary proceedings and continues to remain absent “will face criminal proceedings” and will no longer be eligible for repeated lenient disciplinary handling.

On the economic front, professional officials said that “personal sanctions that directly affect the individual” and economic enforcement measures have a particularly significant impact on increasing enlistment.

At the same time, officials at the Ministry of Finance warned that expectations within the chareidi sector that legislation will be passed exempting its members from service “create a negative incentive for enlistment.” To increase pressure, the attorney general instructed officials to examine a requirement for “accounting separation” within yeshivos, aimed at preventing “indirect funding of yeshiva students who are obligated to enlist.”

The letter was written ahead of a High Court hearing scheduled for March 1, 2026, on petitions seeking findings of contempt of court. Baharav-Miara concluded that “all state authorities must intensify enforcement efforts, both criminal and civil-economic,” particularly in light of what she described as “the clear security need and the severe harm to equality.”

{Matzav.com}

It is with great sadness that Matzav.com reports the petirah of Rabbi Yaakov Yosef HaKohen Kliger z”l of Antwerp’s Gerer community. He was 79.

Rabbi Kliger, known to many as Reb Yankel, was born in Germany on the 10th of Sivan 5707 to his father, Reb Dovid Kliger, one of the founders of the Gerer beis chassidim in Ramat Gan, and his mother, Mrs. Sheindel, daughter of Rabbi Yosef Abramowitz. At the age of two, he immigrated with his parents to Eretz Yisroel.

When he was 15, on the advice of the Gerrer Rebbe, the Bais Yisroel, he traveled to the United States to learn Torah. He learned at Yeshivas Ner Yisroel in Baltimore under the rosh yeshivah Rav Yaakov Yitzchak Ruderman, where he acquired a strong and lasting Torah foundation.

Upon reaching marriageable age, he married into the family of Reb Yudel Baum of Antwerp. Together with his wife, he established his home in the city and became one of the valued members of the community. He was a supporter of lomdei Torah and Torah institutions, and earned his livelihood in the jewelry and gold trade, treating his work as secondary and his Torah as primary.

He was especially distinguished in the mitzvah of honoring his father. As an only son, he traveled frequently to Eretz Yisroel to visit and care for him.

In recent years, he suffered from difficulty walking, yet despite the hardship he exerted himself to go to shul. Over the past year, his health fluctuated, but he consistently expressed gratitude and joy in his avodas Hashem. He passed away at his home on Motzaei Shabbos.

He is survived by his sons, Rabbi Uri Kliger of Golders Green, London, Rabbi Yisroel Kliger of Antwerp, and Raphael Kliger, as well as his daughter, Mrs. Tessler, wife of Rabbi Ari Tessler.

The levayah was held today at the Machzikei Hadass Shul in Antwerp, followed by kevurah at the Pitte cemetery in the Netherlands.

Yehi zichro boruch.

{Matzav.com}

[Video below.] House Speaker Mike Johnson said Sunday that he believes lawmakers will move quickly to end a partial federal government shutdown sparked by fallout from the Trump administration’s aggressive immigration operations in Minneapolis, predicting the impasse will be resolved by Tuesday.

The shutdown began Saturday after Congress failed to approve a budget for the 2026 fiscal year before the funding deadline. So far, the effects have been limited, with most government operations continuing uninterrupted.

Lawmakers in the House are expected to take up emergency legislation on Monday as they return from recess to a snow-covered Washington. The focus will be a Senate-approved agreement aimed at reopening the government.

“Let’s say I’m confident that we’ll do it at least by Tuesday,” Johnson said during an appearance on NBC’s “Meet the Press.”

The funding lapse came after negotiations collapsed amid Democratic outrage over the killing of two protesters in Minneapolis by federal immigration agents. The incident derailed talks over additional funding for the Department of Homeland Security.

Late Friday night, the Senate passed a package that advances five unresolved spending bills to fund most federal agencies through September. The measure also includes a two-week continuing resolution to keep DHS operating while lawmakers continue debating immigration enforcement policy.

House Democrats have made clear they want changes to how DHS carries out immigration raids before backing the spending package. They have objected to operations involving heavily armed, masked agents who are not clearly identified and who, in some cases, have detained individuals without warrants.

House Democratic leader Hakim Jeffries said Sunday that discussions with Republican leaders over DHS reforms will intensify as lawmakers return to Washington from their districts.

“The administration can’t just talk the talk. They need to walk the walk. That should begin today. Not in two weeks, today,” Jeffries said on ABC’s “This Week.”

President Trump publicly endorsed the Senate agreement and called on both parties to support it, signaling that he wants to avoid another shutdown early in his second term, after last summer’s record 43-day government closure.

Much of the U.S. media viewed the White House’s support for the deal as an acknowledgment that it may need to soften its deportation strategy following the deadly Minneapolis episode.

Government shutdowns halt funding for non-essential federal functions, forcing agencies to suspend services, furlough employees without pay, or require staff to work without immediate compensation.

If the shutdown drags on, departments including defense, education, transportation, housing, and financial regulation would face growing disruptions, with broader economic consequences likely to follow.

Should the House approve the Senate plan, lawmakers would then have just two weeks to hammer out a full-year funding bill for DHS.

Both parties concede that those negotiations will be contentious, with Democrats pressing for stricter limits on immigration enforcement and conservatives pushing to advance their own policy demands.

WATCH:

{Matzav.com}

Senior chareidi media commentator Yisroel Cohen visited the home of the Yenuka in Rishon Letzon, where the two spoke at length about current issues and Cohen sought guidance and a brocha for his day-to-day challenges in Israel’s media.

During the visit, Cohen was shown rare and significant items that were on the table in the Yenuka’s home in honor of the day. Among them was the original handwritten Sefer HaKavanos authored by Rav Shalom Sharabi, the Rashash, whose yahrtzeit was that evening, as well as an exceptionally rare collection of photographs of Rav Yosef Yitzchak Schneersohn, the Rebbe Rayatz, whose yahrtzeit also fell on that day.

The Yenuka praised Cohen for his work on behalf of the hostages over the past two and a half years, describing his efforts as a kiddush Hashem. Cohen then raised a range of topics and asked for advice and a brocha to help him navigate his frequent appearances in the secular media, where contentious issues dominate the public agenda.

The Yenuka emphasized the importance of tone and approach, saying, “One must always speak pleasantly. ‘Derocheha darchei noam vehcol nesivoseha shalom. Its ways are ways of pleasantness, and all its paths are peace.’ Explain things in a good and gentle manner. But if there is someone who provokes and speaks with hostility, it is possible to be firm and respond.”

He continued, “In general, one must always maintain a line in which the message is conveyed truthfully and cleanly, without creating disputes. The truth can be said in a whisper and be heard from one end of the world to the other; there is no need to fight or quarrel over it. It is simple.”

Addressing faith and geulah, the Yenuka added, “If we truly merited the Torah and understood Who Hashem is and the power of His Torah, there would be no need to fight. He would simply redeem and save us.”

Turning to the issue currently inflaming debate in Israel’s media, the draft law, the Yenuka said, “I say that they do not understand the power of the Torah, and therefore they speak this way. But we also do not merit to fully understand the power of the Torah. These do not understand, and those do not understand.”

Quoting the posuk “Great is Hashem and greatly praised, and His greatness is unfathomable,” he explained, “Hakadosh Boruch Hu created the world with the Torah. If they understood what the Torah is and understood its power, they would tell us: Do not leave it. Continue engaging in it.”

He concluded with a message of introspection, saying, “And on the other hand, if we ourselves truly understood more of the power and greatness of the Torah, we would be in a situation where they would not trouble us and tell us not to engage in it. We would not need to apologize for Torah study, because they would not be able to say anything to us. The fact that they speak to us this way is because we are not sufficiently engaged in and understanding the power of the Torah—and then they are able to speak to us as they do.”

{Matzav.com}

Israel signaled a shift in Gaza’s isolation on Sunday as activity resumed at the Rafah border crossing with Egypt, with limited travel in and out of the territory set to restart Monday after years of near-closure. The move is seen as a critical milestone as the Israel–Hamas ceasefire progresses.

Israeli officials said the crossing was opened on a trial basis. COGAT, the Israeli military body overseeing aid to Gaza, said preparations were underway to expand operations and that Gaza residents would begin passing through the crossing on Monday.

The development followed a deadly weekend. Hospital officials said Israeli strikes a day earlier killed at least 30 Palestinians, including several children, marking one of the highest tolls since the October ceasefire began. Israel had accused Hamas the previous day of fresh violations of the truce.

Nicolay Mladenov, the director-general of Trump’s board of peace in Gaza, wrote Sunday on X urging all sides to “exercise restraint and uphold the ceasefire.” He said his office was working with the Palestinian committee tasked with overseeing Gaza to “find ways that prevent future incidents.
We will need everyone’s full cooperation to make this possible,” he added.

Rafah, long viewed by Palestinians as Gaza’s primary gateway to the outside world, has been largely sealed since Israel took control of the area in May 2024.

At the outset, passage will be tightly restricted and goods will not be permitted to cross. Roughly 20,000 Palestinian children and adults in need of medical treatment are hoping to exit Gaza through Rafah, while thousands of Palestinians currently outside the enclave are seeking to return.

Zaher al-Wahidi, who heads the Health Ministry’s documentation department in Gaza, told The Associated Press that the ministry had not yet been informed when medical evacuations would begin.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said Israel will allow 50 patients per day to leave Gaza. A diplomat involved in the talks, speaking anonymously due to the sensitivity of the negotiations, said each patient would be permitted to travel with two relatives. The official added that around 50 Palestinians who left Gaza during the war would be allowed to return daily.

Israel said that both it and Egypt would screen travelers entering and exiting via Rafah, with European Union border patrol agents supervising the crossing. If the system functions smoothly, officials expect the number of travelers to rise over time.

Separately on Sunday, Israel’s Diaspora Ministry announced it was “moving to terminate” the operations of Doctors Without Borders in Gaza.

The announcement followed Israel’s December decision to suspend the group’s work after it declined to comply with new registration rules requiring aid organizations to submit lists of local staff. Doctors Without Borders has argued that such requirements could endanger Palestinian employees.

“MSF will cease its operations and depart the Gaza Strip by February 28, 2026,” the ministry said, using the acronym for the organization’s French name.

The group did not immediately respond, but wrote on X on Friday that it had finalized its decision not to provide staff lists.

Doctors Without Borders is among more than two dozen humanitarian groups barred from operating in Gaza for failing or refusing to meet the new requirements. The Diaspora Ministry says the measures are intended to prevent Hamas and other terrorist organizations from infiltrating aid efforts, while humanitarian groups contend the rules are arbitrary and warn that suspensions will further harm civilians in dire need of assistance.

Independent aid organizations are central to sustaining Gaza’s health system, which has been severely damaged by two years of Israeli strikes and restrictions on supplies.

Doctors Without Borders has said Israel’s decision will have devastating consequences for its Gaza operations, where it funds and staffs six hospitals, operates two field hospitals, and runs eight primary health centers, clinics, and medical points. The organization also manages two of Gaza’s five stabilization centers treating children suffering from severe malnutrition.

At Rafah on Sunday, Palestinian security personnel crossed from the Egyptian side toward the Palestinian gate to join the European Union mission overseeing movement through the crossing, according to an Egyptian official who spoke anonymously because he was not authorized to brief the media. The official added that ambulances also passed through the Egyptian gate.

The reopening of Rafah marks a significant step as the U.S.-brokered ceasefire that took effect on October 10 enters its second phase.

{Matzav.com}

Encyclopedia Britannica has taken down a disputed map from its Britannica Kids platform after criticism that it labeled the entire area between the Jordan River and the Mediterranean Sea as “Palestine,” without referencing Israel. The move followed objections raised by the pro-Israel legal advocacy group UK Lawyers for Israel (UKLFI) and questions from The Telegraph, which reported concerns that the map effectively denied Israel’s existence and mirrored the slogan “From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free.”

The map had appeared alongside text defining “Palestine” as the territory stretching from the Jordan River to the Mediterranean. Critics said the presentation closely tracked language commonly used by pro-Palestinian activists and groups such as Hamas. In a letter to Britannica’s publishers, UKLFI argued that the framing advanced a contemporary political narrative and erased the presence of the State of Israel from the same geographic space.

Public attention to the issue began in November 2024, when London-based Jewish children’s author Shari Black contacted Britannica directly to raise concerns. She said she was taken aback by what she viewed as historical inaccuracies in educational material for children, adding that the content appeared to promote an agenda aimed at delegitimizing Israel, despite its establishment through international agreement.

UKLFI also challenged Britannica Kids’ broader historical use of the term “Palestine” as a label extending back thousands of years. The group noted that historians generally trace the name to Roman Emperor Hadrian, who applied it to the region in 135 CE following the Bar Kokhba revolt, replacing the name Judea in an effort to weaken Jewish identification with the land.

Responding to the complaints, Britannica editor-in-chief Theodore Pappas said the company would examine UKLFI’s claims and make changes where appropriate.

UKLFI Director Caroline Turner said that applying the label “Palestine” retroactively across the region’s history misrepresents historical developments and falsely suggests an unbroken continuity that does not reflect the record.

Following The Telegraph’s inquiry, Britannica removed the map and updated the entry to clarify the present-day reality, stating: “Today the State of Israel, the West Bank, and the Gaza Strip are located within this area.”

{Matzav.com}

Israel’s Attorney General, Gali Baharav-Miara, convened a special follow-up discussion that revealed serious shortcomings in the implementation of the High Court ruling on the enlistment of yeshiva students, with security officials warning of a deep enforcement failure and the military announcing tougher criminal and disciplinary measures against draft dodgers.

According to figures presented at the meeting, as of January 2026 the number of individuals designated for military or national service who received draft orders but failed to report has surpassed 71,000. Approximately 80 percent of those classified as draft dodgers come from the chareidi community.

The discussion was attended by senior legal officials, representatives of Israel Defense Forces, and police officials. During the session, sharp disparities in enforcement practices were raised. Military officials warned that, as a rule, the Military Police are not granted authorization to carry out arrests in chareidi neighborhoods. They added that even in cases where chareidi deserters are detained incidentally by the police, they are often released in practice without being transferred to military authorities.

A police representative said the policy stems from a severe manpower shortage and concerns over the potential for serious public disturbances. She argued that effective enforcement would require the addition of six Border Police companies. IDF officials countered that the current reality amounts to selective enforcement, which disproportionately impacts other sectors of the population where enforcement is significantly stricter.

Attorney General Baharav-Miara described the findings as “harsh and troubling,” and stressed that under the High Court’s ruling, claims of limited resources cannot justify a failure to enforce the law. In response, the IDF presented a series of immediate steps to tighten enforcement, including reducing the period required to pursue criminal prosecution for draft evasion from 540 days to 365 days, and increasing the maximum detention period under disciplinary proceedings to 35 days.

At the same time, the attorney general instructed professional officials at the Finance Ministry to reexamine funding mechanisms related to draft dodgers, including indirect funding. Among the options being considered is accounting separation within yeshivos, a move intended to expand the range of economic sanctions available against those who fail to report for mandatory service.

{Matzav.com}