Matzav

Rav Yitzchok Yosef, the former Sephardi chief rabbi of Israel, launched a blistering attack tonight on Israeli Prime Minister Bibi Netanyahu, calling him “an atheist,” while also accusing both Netanyahu and Shas chairman Arye Deri of deliberately delaying the passage of a chareidi draft bill and charging that the IDF has been disproportionately arresting Sephardim.

His remarks came in the wake of weeklong protests outside a military prison where chareidi detainees are being held. Rav Yosef argued that the coalition should have prioritized passing the draft legislation before finalizing the government’s first budget, as stipulated in the coalition agreement. “It should have been before forming the government, as written in the coalition agreement, to pass the draft law before the first budget,” he said.

Rav Yosef leveled particularly harsh criticism at Netanyahu and chareidi representatives in the Knesset, invoking the memory of Chacham Shalom Cohen. “Do not listen to Bibi after the budget. Why did they listen to him? If Chacham Shalom were alive, he would shout at the emissaries of the rabbonim. Why are you dragging your feet? Why are you listening to Bibi? Do you believe him? He is an atheist,” Rav Yosef declared.

The Rishon Letzion pressed on, saying, “You rely on someone like that? What are you relying on him for, to pass the draft law? So more delays, and we got into trouble.”

He also condemned the IDF’s recent campaign of arrests, alleging bias in its enforcement. “They arrest mainly Sephardim. They know that there the father is weak, the mother is weak,” he said, before urging the community to be vigilant. “What is this, Russia? When they knock on the door, look through the peephole to see who it is. If it is them, do not open the door. Get through this difficult period.”4

{Matzav.com Israel}

Russian President Vladimir Putin put forward terms at his summit with Donald Trump in Alaska that would see Moscow return small areas of occupied Ukrainian territory while Kyiv would surrender larger portions of its east, according to individuals familiar with Moscow’s approach.

The details surfaced one day after the two leaders convened at an Alaskan air base — marking the first time a U.S. president has met face-to-face with the Kremlin chief since the outbreak of the Ukraine war.

On Monday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is scheduled to arrive in Washington to confer with Trump about potential terms to bring the full-scale conflict, launched by Putin in February 2022, to an end.

While the summit did not deliver the immediate ceasefire Trump had hoped for, he told Fox News host Sean Hannity that the two men spoke about territorial adjustments and assurances for Ukraine’s security, and had “largely agreed.”

“I think we’re pretty close to a deal,” Trump said, while cautioning, “Ukraine has to agree to it. Maybe they’ll say ‘no’.”

Two sources, who declined to be identified given the sensitivity of the matter, said their information on Putin’s proposals largely came from conversations involving leaders in Europe, the United States, and Ukraine, and stressed that their understanding was incomplete.

Trump relayed his account of the summit to Zelenskyy and European leaders early Saturday.

It remains uncertain whether Putin’s plan was presented as a rigid set of terms or as an opening position intended to spark negotiations.

If taken literally, some of the provisions would pose enormous difficulties for Ukraine’s leadership to accept.

Among them, Putin made clear he would not consent to a ceasefire until an overarching agreement was finalized — a direct rejection of Zelenskyy’s demand, as Ukraine continues to suffer relentless strikes from Russian drones and missiles.

According to the sources, the proposal called for Ukraine to relinquish the eastern Donetsk and Luhansk regions entirely, in exchange for Russia freezing its positions in the southern areas of Kherson and Zaporizhzhia.

Kyiv has already made clear it will not abandon territories such as Donetsk, where its forces are entrenched and which officials insist is vital for defending the rest of the country from deeper Russian incursions.

On the other side, Russia was said to be ready to return relatively small sections of occupied land in the northern Sumy and northeastern Kharkiv regions.

Data from Ukraine’s Deep State battlefield mapping project shows Moscow controls about 440 square kilometers in those two regions. By contrast, Ukraine holds roughly 6,600 square kilometers in Donbas, encompassing Donetsk and Luhansk, which Russia claims.

In addition, sources said Putin sought official recognition of Russia’s control over Crimea, annexed in 2014.

It is unclear whether this meant recognition solely from Washington or also from Europe and Ukraine. Kyiv and its allies have repeatedly ruled out acknowledging Russian sovereignty there.

Putin’s demands also included some level of sanctions relief, though the sources could not confirm whether this referred to American restrictions, European measures, or both.

On Friday, Trump remarked that he was not yet considering retaliatory tariffs against nations such as China for importing Russian oil in violation of Western sanctions, but warned he might be forced to “in two or three weeks.”

Another stipulation would block Ukraine from ever joining NATO, though Putin appeared open to Kyiv receiving certain security guarantees.

What such assurances might look like remains unclear. European leaders said Trump spoke with them about a possible security framework for Ukraine and floated the notion of an “Article 5”-style pledge outside the NATO alliance.

Under NATO’s Article 5 principle, an attack on one member is treated as an attack on all 32.

Membership in NATO is a constitutional goal for Ukraine, enshrined in its national policy.

Putin’s proposal also sought protections for the Russian language in parts of Ukraine — or potentially nationwide — as well as freedom for the Russian Orthodox Church to operate.

Ukraine’s intelligence service has accused the Moscow-linked church of supporting the Kremlin’s war effort through propaganda and espionage. The church denies this, saying it cut formal ties to Moscow.

Ukraine has passed legislation banning religious groups tied to Russia, including that church, though authorities have not yet begun enforcing it.

{Matzav.com}

Governor Kathy Hochul dismissed New York City mayoral hopeful Zohran Mamdani’s idea of opening publicly owned grocery stores across the city, making clear she doesn’t support the socialist-style proposal.

“I favor free enterprise,” Hochul remarked during a breakfast gathering in the Hamptons hosted by supermarket tycoon John Catsimatidis, after being asked about Mamdani’s suggestion.

Her statement was met with loud applause from the business crowd, including Catsimatidis himself.

The owner of Gristedes supermarkets later told The Post that Mamdani’s initiative was doomed from the start, pointing to a taxpayer-funded grocery store in Kansas City, Missouri, that just shut its doors. That store, he noted, was plagued by theft, half-empty shelves, and massive losses, despite Kansas City pouring $18 million into it over the last ten years in an attempt to keep it running.

“New York City is a capitalist city – look what happened in Kansas City?” Catsimatidis said about the defunct Sun Fresh Market. “These types of grocery stores just don’t work.”

Hochul, who positions herself as a centrist Democrat, has not endorsed any candidate in the mayoral race thus far.

Mamdani, the Democratic nominee and considered the favorite in November’s election, has laid out a plan to establish five city-run supermarkets, one in each borough, with the possibility of expanding to more locations later.

He projected that building the first five would require a combined investment of $60 million.

Opponents of the idea have derided it as a move toward “Soviet” markets, warning that shoppers could be left with only generic or single-brand choices for basics like bread and milk.

They’ve also raised concerns that government-set pricing could undercut private competitors like Gristedes, potentially driving them out of business and reducing consumer options in the city.

An eight-page packet containing details such as the gift President Trump planned to present to Vladimir Putin and the expected menu for their meal was reportedly left behind in a printer at a hotel in Anchorage just hours before their closely watched summit on Ukraine.

The mishap, while awkward, did not reveal any highly sensitive material — since most of the summit schedule at Joint Base Elmendorf–Richardson had already been made public — but the story spread quickly once it was picked up by NPR.

According to the outlet, three guests at the upscale Hotel Captain Cook stumbled upon the pages in the machine of a shared business center.

Among the papers were two sheets describing the menu for a luncheon that was later called off. The planned courses included filet mignon served with a brandy peppercorn sauce and a salad topped with champagne vinaigrette. Another page displayed a seating arrangement that placed both presidents at the head of a conference-style table.

Other pages included profiles with names and photos of the officials expected to take part in an expanded session between the U.S. and Russian delegations. Instructions on one of the sheets noted that the Russian president’s name should be pronounced “POO-tihn.”

The printout further disclosed that Trump’s chosen gift for Putin was a small statue of an American bald eagle designed for a desk. It also listed the personal phone numbers of three advance team staffers tasked with organizing the events.

While most of the agenda items had already been released by the White House, many of the plans were later scrapped or shortened. Trump shifted away from pushing for an immediate cease-fire, ultimately leaving Alaska and returning to Washington expressing hope that he could secure a broader peace agreement.

Meanwhile, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky is scheduled to arrive at the White House on Monday. His meeting will focus on Putin’s demand that Ukraine cede the remaining parts of Donetsk province in exchange for an international peacekeeping force — one that could include British and French troops — to help deter further Russian aggression.

{Matzav.com}

It is with great sadness that Matzav.com reports the petirah on Shabbos morning of Rav Berel Wein zt”l, the noted rov, author, historian, and educator. He was 91.

Rabbi Wein, a veteran figure in the rabbinate and a beloved teacher to thousands, devoted his life to harbatzas haTorah and preserving the legacy of Klal Yisroel through his prolific work in Jewish history and education.

Born in Chicago into a family of Litvishe rabbonim on March 25, 1934, his father, Rabbi Zev Wein (1906-2004), was a talmid of Rav Shimon Shkop. Rabbi Zev Wein later emigrated to the United States and served as a rov in Chicago until the 1970s.

In 1955, he married Yocheved (Jackie) Levin, who had been born in Lita, in 1934 and had emigrated to Detroit with her parents, Rav and Rebbetzin Leizer Levin, at the age of 4.

Rabbi Wein received semicha from Hebrew Theological College, where he learned under some of the foremost rabbonim of the time, including Rav Chaim Kreiswirth, Rav Mordechai Rogow and Rav Mendel Kaplan.

He earned his bachelor’s degree from Roosevelt College in Chicago, followed by a law degree from DePaul University Law School, and later received a Doctorate from Hebrew Theological College.

After a successful career in law, Rabbi Wein entered the rabbanus in 1964, accepting the pulpit of Beth Israel Congregation in Miami Beach, Florida. He served there until 1972, before assuming the position of mara d’asra of Congregation Bais Torah in Monsey, New York, a position he held with distinction for 24 years. During this time, he also served as Executive Vice President of the Orthodox Union (OU), and later as Rabbinic Administrator of its Kashrus Division.

In 1977, he founded Yeshiva Shaarei Torah in Suffern, New York, establishing both a high school and a beis medrash division, and served as rosh yeshiva until 1997. That year, Rabbi Wein and his wife, Rebbetzin Yocheved Wein—daughter of Rav and Rebbetzin Leizer Levin, rov of Detroit—moved to Yerushalayim. There, Rabbi Wein joined Beit Knesset Hanasi and, in 2002, was appointed its mara d’asra.

Widely regarded as one of the premier Jewish historians of our time, Rabbi Wein authored numerous seminal works on Jewish history and has delivered thousands of shiurim across the globe. His voice and vision shaped generations of Jews seeking a deeper understanding of their past and a more meaningful connection to their heritage.

In recognition of his lifelong contributions, Rabbi Wein received the prestigious Torah Prize Award from Machon Harav Frank in Yerushalayim for his impact on Torah education and the spread of Judaism throughout the world.

The levayah will be held Sunday morning at 9:30 a.m. at Beit Knesset Hanasi, located at 24 Rechov Menachem Usishkin in Yerushalayim, followed by kevurah on Har Hazeisim.

Rabbi Wein is survived by his son, Rabbi Chaim Wein, and three daughters, Mrs. Sori Teitelbaum, Mrs. Miriam Gettinger, and Mrs. Dina Gewirtz, and many grandchildren and great-grandchildren.

Yehi zichro boruch.

{Matzav.com}

[COMMUNICATED]

This holy siddur is the very one from which the holy Admor Rabbi Meir Yosef Weiss of Spinka, author of Imrei Yosef, poured out his heart in prayer, infused with lofty kavanos (mystical intentions). The siddur bears the Rebbe’s personal stamp, and includes pages completed in his sacred handwriting, along with Kabbalistic glosses and textual corrections penned by the Rebbe himself. 
The frequent use of the siddur is evident in almost every page, with noticeable rubbing along the margins, stains and signs of wear.

WATCH:

Israeli Prime Minister Bibi Netanyahu received a document from senior professional sources involved in the hostage release negotiations, outlining a notable change in Hamas’s position compared to the stance it took three weeks earlier — the point at which talks collapsed. Channel 12 News, citing two senior officials who reviewed the document, reported on its contents Friday evening.

The document reportedly contains an evaluation suggesting that Hamas is now willing to consider a “partial deal” involving the release of some hostages along with a ceasefire in Gaza.

The assessment, compiled and endorsed by top professional sources, presents conclusions that are considered difficult for Netanyahu to dismiss. Channel 12 News said the report was sent to him on Thursday, despite his recently stated policy rejecting any partial arrangement.

Netanyahu has made it clear that Israel’s position is to accept only a full agreement that secures the release of all hostages and ends the war on terms set by Israel.

Senior Israeli officials noted that the document reflects a shift in Hamas’s approach, showing a readiness to return to talks under the framework proposed by U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff. That plan calls for the release of 10 living hostages and 18 bodies in exchange for a 60-day ceasefire and the freeing of Palestinian Arab terrorist prisoners.

On Thursday, it was publicly revealed that Mossad Director David Barnea had secretly traveled to Doha, Qatar.

While in Doha, Barnea met with Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani to discuss ways to move forward on a prisoner exchange agreement with Hamas.

This trip came amid renewed efforts by the United States, Qatar, Egypt, and Turkey to forge a comprehensive accord that would compel Israel to halt its military campaign against Hamas and secure the release of all remaining hostages still being held in Gaza.

Sources with knowledge of the situation said the goal is to use the remaining window of time before a possible large-scale IDF action in Gaza to explore a diplomatic resolution.

Responding to the media coverage, the Mossad said: “The Mossad chief traveled to Qatar for Mossad-related matters, and not on matters relating to the negotiations for a hostage deal. The Mossad chief even clarified during the meeting that a partial deal is off the table.”

{Matzav.com}

President Donald Trump greeted Russian President Vladimir Putin on Friday with a cordial reception as the two sat down for an extended and high-stakes summit in Alaska, a meeting that could influence the course of the war in Ukraine.

Their discussions concluded at 6:20 p.m. ET, with a possible joint press briefing expected within the hour.

In a display of careful staging, both leaders arrived in their presidential aircraft and descended onto the tarmac of a military base. Trump applauded as Putin set foot on Western soil for the first time since launching the invasion of Ukraine in 2022. Overhead, a U.S. B-2 stealth bomber passed in a show of force, while a reporter called out to Putin, “Will you stop killing civilians?”

Unfazed, Putin flashed a broad smile as Trump took the unusual step of personally accompanying him into “The Beast,” the fortified U.S. presidential limousine. The two proceeded to a meeting room where a screen behind them displayed the words—only in English—“Pursuing Peace.”

According to the White House, the presidents and their senior advisers continued talking after two hours, an indication the session was ongoing and not breaking down early, though Trump had previously stated he was ready to end the meeting if needed.

Putin appeared in good spirits, joking with members of the Russian press during the visit. His trip marks a notable moment for a leader under an International Criminal Court arrest warrant for alleged war crimes in Ukraine, a conflict that has claimed tens of thousands of lives.

‘Good respect level’ 

Recent Russian advances on the battlefield may give Putin more leverage in any ceasefire negotiations. However, as his plane landed, Ukraine announced it had recaptured several villages.

Speaking to reporters aboard Air Force One on the way to Anchorage, Trump struck an optimistic tone. “There’s a good respect level on both sides and I think something’s going to come out of it,” he said.

Trump has maintained he will handle Putin firmly, mindful of the criticism he faced for seeming deferential during their 2018 Helsinki summit.

On Friday, the White House unexpectedly revealed that Trump had scrapped a planned one-on-one with Putin. Instead, he entered the meeting alongside Secretary of State Marco Rubio and special envoy Steve Witkoff.

Plans were also in place for a working lunch with a larger group and for a joint news conference afterward.

The encounter drew intense scrutiny from European allies and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, who was excluded from the talks and has rebuffed Trump’s calls to relinquish land seized by Russia. “It is time to end the war, and the necessary steps must be taken by Russia. We are counting on America,” Zelenskyy posted on social media.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov declined to speculate on what might result from the summit. “We never make any predictions ahead of time,” he told Russian state television after arriving in Alaska, notably wearing a shirt emblazoned with “USSR” in Cyrillic.

Trump has pledged to coordinate with European leaders and Zelenskyy, promising that any final settlement would come from a three-way meeting with Putin and the Ukrainian president to “divvy up” territory.

‘Severe’ consequences 

Trump has long touted his rapport with Putin, assigning blame for the war to Joe Biden and vowing that once back in the Oval Office he could secure peace within 24 hours.

Yet despite frequent phone calls with Putin and a public scolding of Zelenskyy during a Feb. 28 White House meeting, the Kremlin leader has shown no indication of softening his position.

Trump told reporters he “would walk” away from the table if the talks proved unproductive, adding he “wouldn’t be happy” without an immediate ceasefire.

The discussions took place at Elmendorf Air Force Base, the largest U.S. military site in Alaska and a key surveillance post during the Cold War.

Adding historical resonance, Alaska was purchased by the United States from Russia in 1867—a transaction Russian officials have occasionally cited when discussing land exchanges.

Neither Trump nor Putin is expected to venture into Anchorage, where demonstrators have set up signs supporting Ukraine.

This meeting represents a marked departure from the stance of Biden and Western European leaders, who have refused to negotiate with Moscow over Ukraine without Kyiv’s direct involvement.

{Matzav.com}

A two-year-old Ukrainian boy named Illia was taken from his homeland by a senior Russian military officer who allegedly selected him for his “good looks.” The child was later abandoned after health problems came to light — and has not been seen since.

Illia is just one among thousands of Ukrainian minors who, according to Kyiv, were seized by Russia during the ongoing war. Ukraine’s first lady, Olena Zelenska, has made the fight to bring these children home a central cause.

Speaking exclusively to The NY Post from Kyiv on Thursday, Zelenska said that as discussions toward a potential peace agreement with Russia progress, ensuring the safe return of the missing children must be at the forefront.

Since the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion in 2022, Ukraine has faced immense challenges in tracking and recovering children taken during the chaos — many of them removed from schools, orphanages, and family homes in occupied areas.

Officials in Kyiv say that at least 19,500 children remain missing, though the true figure may be considerably higher. In 2023, Russian Children’s Ombudsman Maria Lvova-Belova claimed that 744,000 Ukrainian children had been relocated to Russia. Not long after, both she and President Vladimir Putin were indicted by the International Criminal Court on war crimes charges connected to these deportations.

“For all Ukrainians, this is one of the most heartbreaking consequences of this war,” Zelenska said. “We could not protect their rights when the Russians took them — without consent, without records, without any transparency.”

While Moscow has described these removals as “evacuations,” Ukrainian authorities say they were forced deportations. In some instances, entire boarding schools were emptied and the children bused away, never to be heard from again.

Ukraine’s social service agencies attempted to trace the missing, but the fact that large swaths of occupied territory remain under Russian control has left them with few answers.

“In the first weeks of the invasion, civilians couldn’t evacuate freely,” Zelenska said. “There were no green corridors. Anyone who tried to leave towards Ukrainian-controlled areas risked being shot, even families with children. The only direction open was towards Russia.”

Some of the missing were separated from their parents during so-called “filtration” — a network of checkpoints where fleeing civilians were interrogated, had their phones inspected, and even underwent body searches for pro-Ukrainian tattoos.

Human rights groups have documented numerous cases in which children were taken during these screenings and never returned.

Although about 1,500 children have been recovered so far, Ukrainian authorities describe the process as slow, dangerous, and emotionally draining.

International bodies, including the United Nations, have been helping compile lists of the missing. But identifying them is complicated by Russia’s practice of altering personal information, including names and birth details, in official records.

“A Ukrainian child named Mykyta may be renamed Nikita in Russian documents,” Zelenska said. “Dates of birth, places of origin, even names can be altered. That’s how these children disappear.”

With peace negotiations beginning to touch on territorial matters, Ukraine’s leadership insists that retrieving the abducted children must be non-negotiable.

“The longer these children stay there, the faster they lose their identity, their language, and their homeland,” Zelenska said. “Time is working against us, and against them.”

Kyiv continues to appeal to allied nations to pressure Moscow into allowing neutral observers to verify the children’s whereabouts and welfare, and to pave the way for their return.

For now, the futures of thousands of young Ukrainians remain in limbo, suspended between political maneuvering, diplomacy, and the enduring uncertainty of war.

”It’s very painful for us — for all Ukrainians and the Ukrainian state — because we were not able to ensure the rights of our children when they were violated by the Russians without their or their parents’ consent,” the first lady said.

The experiences of those taken vary. Some have reportedly been sent to Russian military training camps, even deployed to fight against Ukraine. Others have been used for labor or other forms of servitude.

Even those adopted into Russian households are not necessarily safe.

Zelenska recounted Illia’s ordeal: taken from occupied Kherson by a high-ranking Russian officer because of his “good looks.”

“There is a record of high-ranking Russian officials who come to select children for themselves, looking for the better-looking children as if it were a supermarket,” she said.

“Illia’s health issue was not obvious without a medical examination — which would have happened had he not been taken illegally — but when they found out, they took him to occupied Crimea and abandoned him. We don’t know what happened to him,” she continued.

”This story demonstrates how they treat children as if they were goods or things — they are not at all interested in children’s rights, and this is why Ukraine is fighting so hard for them.”

According to Zelenska, children in Russian custody are forbidden to speak Ukrainian, acknowledge their heritage, or communicate with relatives back home.

The psychological toll is severe. Many returnees have described being beaten for using their native language or expressing their cultural identity.

Some have taken their own lives in Russia, unable to bear the repression.

“The children who come back are subdued mentally — they’re broken,” she said. “Only after they return do they start coming back out of their shells.”

Once a child is adopted by a Russian family and their surname is changed, finding them becomes almost impossible. Ukraine has not yet managed to repatriate any child in this situation, Zelenska said.

Even locating the children does not guarantee their return.

“We have parents, grandparents and other relatives who are looking for the kids in Russia, but there is no answer to our requests for information,” she said.

“There are ways for international organizations [still working in Russia] to help, to be a mediator in these negotiations.

”If they could get information for us about these children, that would be a step forward.”

{Matzav.com}

President Donald Trump voiced his backing for Israel’s military push to topple Hamas’ rule in Gaza, but cautioned that U.S. patience has its limits.

According to a report by Ariel Kahana in Yisroel Hayom, Trump spoke with Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu this week, expressing support for the IDF operation aimed at removing Hamas from power. However, a source close to the White House said Trump’s message was pointed: “Do it, but do it quickly.”

The Prime Minister’s Office declined to comment on the conversation. But during a meeting of the security cabinet, Minister Ron Dermer warned ministers that the American administration’s tolerance is wearing thin. “We don’t have time,” Dermer told them, urging decisive action to prevent erosion of international backing.

As the IDF prepares for a ground offensive to capture Gaza City, mediators have intensified their efforts to block the operation. Mossad Director Dadi Barnea and Dermer relayed a clear message to those mediators: Israel will not accept a partial deal — only a comprehensive agreement that brings home all the hostages and ends the war.

This stance reflects the position of Netanyahu, Finance Minister Betzalel Smotrich, and Dermer, in contrast to ministers Gideon Sa’ar, Tzachi Hanegbi, and Aryeh Deri, who have argued for leaving open the possibility of a limited agreement.

Meanwhile, Defense Minister Yisroel Katz held a planning session with the IDF Chief of Staff to prepare for the Gaza operation, against a backdrop of reports about tensions between Katz, Netanyahu, and the chief of staff over the management of the campaign.

{Matzav.com}

The battle over the proposed draft law took on a personal dimension this week when the Rosh Yeshiva of Yeshivas Rashbi, Rav Meir Tzvi Bergman, responded pointedly to a group of bochurim who came to his home and shared that they had recently received military draft notices.

The visit took place on Thursday afternoon, when Rav Aryeh Kook, a senior rosh yeshiva at Maor HaTorah in Rechovot, arrived at Rav Bergman’s Bnei Brak residence together with his sons to receive a bracha. During the conversation, Rav Kook mentioned that the previous day, four of his sons had been served with draft orders.

Without hesitation, Rav Bergman asked them on the spot: “Have you already torn them up?”

Rav Kook replied in the affirmative, saying, “Of course — mosai yavo l’yadi v’akaymenah,” explaining that they had done so joyfully, with singing and dancing, in the merit of sanctifying Hashem’s Name.

When asked whether there was any reason to be afraid, Rav Bergman answered in Yiddish: “Ich halt az men darf nisht hoben moirah fun zei — I hold that you should not be afraid of them.”

On Friday afternoon, the Vizhnitzer Rebbe returned to Eretz Yisroel following medical treatment in Germany. He arrived at Ben Gurion Airport aboard the private plane of noted philanthropist and supporter of Torah R’ Dan Gertler.

Sources told Matzav.com that the doctors in Munich were pleased with the results of the treatment the Rebbe underwent earlier this week, and that the heartfelt tefillos of Klal Yisroel appear to have borne fruit.

The Rebbe will spend this Shabbos at the home of his late father, the Yeshuos Moshe of Vizhnitz zt”l, located at 15 Ahavas Shalom Street in Bnei Brak. The Shabbos will be a closed gathering limited to members of the family.

On Shabbos morning, the Rebbe is scheduled to serve as sandek at the bris of his great-grandson, a grandson of his son, Rav Yaakov Mordechai Hager, Av Beis Din of Vizhnitz Elad, and great-grandson of the Rebbe of Shatz.

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

{Matzav.com}

Preliminary testing has determined that the white powder discovered Thursday at an ICE field office in Lower Manhattan did not contain any “dangerous substance,” Mayor Eric Adams said Friday in an interview with 1010 WINS.

“We are told the preliminary results indicate there was no dangerous substance that was involved,” Adams told WINS anchor Susan Richard.

“But let’s be clear,” the mayor continued. “This still is a serious crime, and the FBI is going to conduct their investigation, and anything we can do to assist, we will do so. This is a crime. It should not have happened. And we’re going to make sure the person responsible is brought to justice.”

Authorities said five envelopes containing the powder were discovered in the mailroom of Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO), a branch of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).

The location — 26 Federal Plaza — has been the site of frequent protests in recent months against President Donald Trump’s immigration enforcement policies. The building also houses a detention facility for migrants awaiting removal proceedings.

“Our weapons of mass destruction and hazardous evidence response teams immediately responded to the scene,” said Christopher Raia, assistant director in charge of the FBI’s New York field office, which is also located inside the same building.

Raia said the envelopes were sent to the FBI laboratory in Quantico, Virginia, for additional analysis.

The FDNY reported that the building was promptly evacuated after the discovery, and while two individuals were exposed to the substance, no injuries occurred.

{Matzav.com}

Israeli demonstrators calling for a hostage release agreement held a Kabbolas Shabbos gathering on Friday evening outside the home of Defense Minister Yisroel Katz in Kfar Achim.

Among those who addressed the crowd was former hostage Sasha Troufanov, who spoke emotionally about friends still being held in Gaza — “people who no longer remember what freedom is, who would give anything to be here today and stand by me.”

“You have been denying them this right for 679 days. You are willing to sacrifice their freedom in order to achieve a victory that you yourself do not know how to define,” Troufanov said.

“We do not have time for any more attempts to exert pressure or to try different negotiation strategies. You made the promise to return them at the beginning of the war and promises must be kept. Bring them home. Give them their lives back. It is in your hands,” he added.

Critics of Prime Minister Netanyahu have charged that he is prolonging the conflict in pursuit of a “total victory” — a goal they argue lacks a clear definition beyond dismantling Hamas’s military and governing framework. Netanyahu has at times declared his readiness to fight “until the last gunman” and has recently described Gaza City as the final Hamas bastion that the IDF intends to capture, despite having used similar language about Rafah a year and a half earlier. In the meantime, Hamas has shifted to guerrilla warfare, continuing to recruit fighters, while Israel has avoided putting forward a practical alternative to the group — a stance shaped in part by the government’s resistance to involving the internationally-backed Palestinian Authority.

The Kremlin announced on Friday that it anticipates the upcoming Alaska summit between Presidents Vladimir Putin and Donald Trump will run for no less than six to seven hours, according to reports on Russian state television.

“You can expect that it will take up a minimum of six to seven hours,” Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said in an interview with Russia’s Channel One, ahead of the high-profile talks. He added that Moscow is looking forward to what it believes will be a “productive” meeting.

President Donald Trump held a phone conversation with Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko — a staunch supporter of Vladimir Putin — just hours before Trump’s scheduled summit with the Russian leader in Alaska.

Belarus has been one of Moscow’s firmest backers in the war against Ukraine, granting Russian forces access to its territory to launch the first wave of strikes in early 2022.

“I had a wonderful talk with the highly respected President of Belarus, Aleksandr Lukashenko. We discussed many topics, including President Putin’s visit to Alaska,” Trump wrote on his Truth Social account while traveling aboard Air Force One to the meeting.

Trump said he expressed appreciation to Lukashenko for releasing political prisoners and noted that “the two sides were discussing the release of 1,300 additional prisoners.”

Belarus’s state news agency BELTA reported that “Lukashenko invited Trump and his family to visit Belarus, and he agreed.”

According to BELTA, their discussion also touched on bilateral ties and the ongoing war in Ukraine.

Lukashenko, who has been in power since 1994, has steadily dismantled independent media and political dissent, tightening his grip on the country in an increasingly authoritarian fashion.

The Belarusian human rights group Viasna currently estimates that 1,186 political prisoners remain in detention, many of them arrested during the sweeping protests that erupted in 2020 after Lukashenko declared victory in an election widely viewed as fraudulent.

In late June, Lukashenko freed more than a dozen political prisoners — including prominent opposition leader Sergei Tikhanovsky — following a request from the White House.

{Matzav.com}

The Tiveriah Municipality confirmed on Friday that Captain Yosef Chaim Ashraf, an officer in the transport unit of the 99th Reserve Division, was the individual found deceased on Thursday in the Switzerland Forest near Ramat Poria. Authorities believe he took his own life.

Ashraf, a Tiveriah resident, had been serving in active reserve duty at the time of his death. As such, the military will recognize him as a fallen IDF soldier.

Following the incident, the IDF announced that the Military Police Investigations Unit has opened an inquiry. Once completed, the findings will be handed over to the Military Advocate General for review.

This case represents the 17th instance this year of an IDF soldier dying by suicide.

Just two days prior, the Knesset’s Subcommittee on Personnel held a meeting to examine the army’s measures for preventing suicides among its members.

During that session, Brig. Gen. Amir Vadmani, head of the IDF Personnel Directorate, acknowledged a rise in suicide cases but stressed that it does not reflect an “unusual spike” in numbers. He reported that since the start of 2023, 54 soldiers have taken their own lives. The annual breakdown, he said, was 17 suicides in 2023, 21 in 2024, and 17 so far this year.

When asked by both the committee chair and several Knesset members to disclose figures on former soldiers who died by suicide after their service and who had sought recognition as fallen soldiers, Vadmani declined to provide the information.

MK Yossi Stern voiced his frustration at the refusal, saying: “We have a question, and you can answer it so we can move forward. Do you have the number? I’m asking a simple question, and you have the answer.”

Knesset Member Keti Shitrit, who chairs the Knesset Lobby for Mental Health and Suicide Prevention and initiated the discussion, expressed strong disapproval. “It is unreasonable that we do not receive concrete data from the army regarding the number of service members approaching military mental health assessment committees. I demand that the army establish a committee with clear authority and goals, fully transparent to us,” she said.

{Matzav.com Israel}