Matzav

Ukraine forcefully rejected a Russian assertion that one of Vladimir Putin’s official residences was targeted overnight, accusing Moscow of manufacturing a narrative to excuse further military action against Ukraine’s capital.

Responding to comments attributed to Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said the allegation was invented in the wake of his Sunday meeting with President Trump at Mar-a-Lago and warned that it was meant to derail diplomatic momentum.

“Russia is at it again, using dangerous statements to undermine all achievements of our shared diplomatic efforts with President Trump’s team. We keep working together to bring peace closer,” Zelensky wrote on X.

He went on to dismiss the Russian version of events in blunt terms: “This alleged ‘residence strike’ story is a complete fabrication intended to justify additional attacks against Ukraine, including Kyiv, as well as Russia’s own refusal to take necessary steps to end the war. Typical Russian lies.”

According to Moscow, Ukrainian forces launched 91 long-range drones toward a state residence linked to Putin in the Novgorod region during the night, and Russian air defenses intercepted all of them. Russian officials said the incident would prompt a reassessment of their position in negotiations aimed at ending the war, now nearing its fourth year.

Zelensky countered that Ukraine’s conduct has been consistent with diplomatic norms and that the pattern of escalation comes from the Kremlin. “Ukraine does not take steps that can undermine diplomacy. To the contrary, Russia always takes such steps. This is one of many differences between us,” Zelensky insisted.

He also appealed for international attention to the situation, warning that silence would only encourage further destabilization. “It is critical that the world doesn’t stay silent now. We cannot allow Russia to undermine the work on achieving a lasting peace.”

Russian authorities did not say whether Putin was present at the Novgorod residence at the time of the alleged drone incident. There were also no immediate reports of injuries or structural damage connected to the claim.

The Novgorod region lies in northwestern Russia, positioned roughly midway between Moscow and St. Petersburg.

Details about how many official residences Putin uses are tightly restricted. More than a decade ago, Kremlin critics released a report asserting that Putin personally controlled around 20 palaces and villas, nearly half constructed after he came to power in 2000.

One of the authors of that report, former Deputy Prime Minister Boris Nemtsov, was shot dead near the Kremlin in February 2015. Five men from Chechnya were later convicted in a murder-for-hire case, but Russian authorities have never publicly identified who ordered the killing or where that individual might be.

{Matzav.com}

[Video below.] Minnesota officials are facing intensified scrutiny after a viral investigation video reignited allegations of widespread fraud tied to state-funded programs, prompting renewed public pressure and an expanded federal response.

Federal investigators estimate that as much as half of the $18 billion sent to Minnesota since 2018 may have been siphoned off through fraudulent operations, potentially totaling up to $9 billion. By Saturday evening, authorities had charged 86 individuals in connection with the schemes, securing 59 convictions so far. Most of those accused come from Minnesota’s Somali community.

The controversy gained momentum following the release of a 43-minute video published Friday by conservative YouTuber Nick Shirley. In the footage, Shirley and a Minnesota resident named David travel throughout Minneapolis, visiting several child care and learning centers that they allege are linked to Somali aid fraud. According to the video, some of the locations were closed despite signage suggesting they were operating, while others were staffed by individuals who declined to appear on camera.

One building featured in the video displayed a sign reading “Quality Learing Center,” with the word “learning” misspelled. The facility was purportedly responsible for serving at least 99 children and allegedly received about $4 million in state funding, according to Shirley’s reporting.

As the video circulated widely online, Governor Tim Walz moved to push back against the accusations through a spokesperson, responding directly to the claims raised in Shirley’s investigation.

“The governor has worked for years to crack down on fraud and ask the state legislature for more authority to take aggressive action. He has strengthened oversight — including launching investigations into these specific facilities, one of which was already closed,” the spokesperson told Fox News.

The spokesperson further outlined actions taken by the administration, saying Walz has “hired an outside firm to audit payments to high-risk programs, shut down the Housing Stabilization Services program entirely, announced a new statewide program integrity director, and supported criminal prosecutions.”

Shirley amplified his findings during an appearance Sunday night on Fox News’ “The Big Weekend Show,” where he mocked what he described as obvious wrongdoing uncovered during his investigation.

He joked that the alleged scheme was “so obvious” that a “kindergartner could figure out there is fraud going on.”

“Fraud is fraud, and we work too hard simply just to be paying taxes and enabling fraud to be happening,” Shirley said.

“There better be change. People are demanding it. The investigation have been launched just from that video alone. So there better be change, like I said, we work way too hard to be paying taxes and not knowing where our money’s going,” he added.

Calls for accountability have also come from government officials. FBI Director Kash Patel announced that the bureau had deployed additional personnel to Minnesota to investigate the distribution of funds, describing the move as an early step in a broader effort to “dismantle large-scale fraud schemes exploiting federal programs.”

Shirley’s video continued to gain traction over the weekend, surpassing 100 million views by Sunday night, further intensifying national attention on Minnesota’s aid programs and the political fallout surrounding them.

WATCH:

{Matzav.com}

Dear Matzav Inbox,

I am writing out of deep frustration, sadness, and genuine concern, asking—no, begging—for someone to finally explain the decision by frum publications to erase women from their pages.

Not blur. Not minimize. Erase.

This policy has become so normalized that many no longer stop to question it, but it is nothing short of absurd. Half of Klal Yisroel has been rendered invisible, and we are expected to accept this as if it were a natural extension of Torah values, rather than a social choice that quietly metastasized into dogma.

Let’s be clear: This is not mandated by halacha. There is no source that requires the total removal of women’s faces from newspapers, magazines, or public discourse. This is not tznius as defined by Chazal or poskim. It is a chumrah that somehow hardened into policy, enforced by editors afraid of backlash and advertisers afraid of phone calls.

And the price is being paid by our daughters.

We raise girls to be thoughtful, capable, idealistic, and committed to Torah life—and then we show them a world in which women do not exist. No role models. No achievers. No leaders. No images of women who contribute, build, create, teach, save lives, run chesed organizations, educate generations, or carry communities on their shoulders.

We tell girls they matter, but the pages they read say otherwise.

We tell them they are essential to Klal Yisroel, but the media that shapes their worldview treats them like a liability that must be cropped out. What message do we think that sends? That their presence is a problem? That visibility itself is shameful? That the safest version of a frum woman is one who cannot be seen?

This is not chinuch. It is abdication of responsibility.

Ironically, the same publications that claim to be protecting tznius are creating a vacuum—one where young girls must look elsewhere to find anyone to admire. If they cannot see women within their own value system, they will inevitably seek representation outside of it. We should not be shocked when they do.

And let’s address the unspoken truth: This policy does not elevate men either. It infantilizes the public, implying that a respectful photograph of a woman—fully modest, dignified, appropriate—is somehow beyond the capacity of frum readers to process without moral collapse. That assumption is not flattering to anyone.

A Torah society is not one that pretends women don’t exist. It is one that knows how to see women properly.

Policies born of fear rarely age well.

I am not asking for sensationalism. I am not asking for modernity for its own sake. I am asking for honesty, balance, and courage. I am asking editors to take responsibility for the culture they are shaping and the children who are absorbing it.

Explain the decision. Defend it openly, if you can. And if you cannot, have the integrity to reconsider it.

Our daughters deserve to be seen. Our community deserves better than silence dressed up as piety.

Sincerely,
A deeply concerned reader

To submit a letter to appear on Matzav.com, email MatzavInbox@gmail.com

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Ukraine’s leadership is pressing for long-term international security assurances as part of ongoing efforts to end Russia’s invasion, with President Volodymyr Zelensky revealing that Washington is currently proposing a 15-year guarantee under the latest draft framework.

Speaking to reporters on Monday, Zelensky said the proposal was discussed during a meeting the previous day with President Trump at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago resort in Palm Beach, Florida. The Ukrainian leader explained that he urged Trump to consider a far longer commitment, potentially stretching decades into the future.

“I raised this issue with the president. I told him that our war is still going on, and it has been almost 15 years,” Zelensky said.

“Therefore, we would really like the guarantees to be longer. I told him that we would very much like to consider the possibility of 30, 40, 50 years. And that would then be a historic decision by President Trump.”

According to Zelensky, Trump did not dismiss the idea outright and responded that he would “think about” the request.

Details of the proposed guarantees have not been publicly released, but Zelensky said they would involve oversight mechanisms to detect cease-fire violations and some form of involvement by the United States and European countries. He stressed that a tangible international role would be central to any credible arrangement.

“I believe that the presence of international troops is a real security guarantee, it is a strengthening of the security guarantees that our partners are already offering us,” the Ukrainian leader said Monday.

A report published last week by The Post said a separate 20-point outline under discussion includes provisions for a coordinated military response by the US, NATO, and other European nations if Russia resumes its offensive.

Moscow has repeatedly rejected the idea of NATO forces operating inside Ukraine. Russia’s foreign minister, Sergey Lavrov, told the Tass news agency on Sunday that any such deployment would be viewed as “a legitimate target.”

Meanwhile, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Monday that Russian President Vladimir Putin and Trump were expected to hold a conversation in the near future. He added there was no indication that Putin planned to speak with Zelensky anytime soon.

European leaders are also weighing their roles. French President Emmanuel Macron said Ukraine’s allies would gather in Paris in early January to “finalize each country’s concrete contributions” to the proposed security framework. It remained unclear whether the United States would send a representative to that meeting.

Zelensky underscored that robust guarantees are essential for Ukraine to lift martial law, which has been in force since Russia launched its full-scale invasion in February 2022. Under Ukraine’s constitution, elections cannot be held while martial law remains in effect, forcing the postponement of presidential and parliamentary votes originally scheduled for 2024.

“Without security guarantees, this war has not really ended,” he said Monday. “We cannot recognize that it has ended.”

Following Sunday’s discussions, Trump said he would consider traveling to Ukraine to persuade lawmakers to support a proposal that would turn the eastern Donbas region into an internationally supervised, demilitarized free economic zone.

“I think the land — you’re talking about — some of that land has been taken [by Russia],” said the US president, adding: “Some of that land is maybe up for grabs, but it may be taken over the next period of a number of months — and you’re better off making a deal now.”

Russian forces currently control most of the Luhansk region and roughly 70 percent of Donetsk, the two territories that make up the Donbas.

Under Ukraine’s post-Soviet constitution, any change to the country’s borders must be approved through a nationwide referendum. Such a vote cannot take place until a cease-fire has been in effect for at least 60 days — a condition the Kremlin has given no indication it is prepared to accept.

{Matzav.com}

Israeli Supreme Court President Yitzchok Amit on Sunday issued a temporary order delaying the election for Tel Aviv’s chief rabbi by approximately one month, following petitions filed by members of the Tel Aviv City Council.

The ruling postpones the vote that had been scheduled for next week, Tuesday, January 6, 2026 (17 Teves 5786), as determined by the city’s rabbinical election committee. The committee is chaired by retired dayan Rav Yaakov Zamir, a former member of Israel’s Supreme Rabbinical Court.

The petitions argued that the Ministry of Religious Services appointed representatives of the minister to the electoral body without consulting the city council, in alleged violation of legal requirements. According to the petitioners, this deprived elected council members of their lawful influence over the composition of the electoral forum and, by extension, over the identity of the rabbi to be chosen.

In his decision, Justice Amit indicated that postponing the election would allow time for the city council to present its position regarding the minister’s representatives on the electoral body, addressing the procedural concerns raised in the petitions.

The race for Tel Aviv’s chief rabbinate includes Rav Zavdiel Cohen, the city’s av beis din, who has received backing from the former chief rabbis as well as political support from the Shas party and Tel Aviv Mayor Ron Huldai.

Also expected to enter the race is Rav Tzvi Yehuda Lau, son of former Chief Rabbi of Israel Rav Yisrael Meir Lau, who currently serves as the rov of the Yad Eliyahu neighborhood in Tel Aviv.

The court’s temporary order leaves the future timetable of the election dependent on further legal review and potential adjustments to the selection process of the electoral body.

{Matzav.com}

Hopes for progress toward normalization between Israel and Saudi Arabia appear to be dimming once again, as senior voices in Riyadh issued sharp criticism following Israel’s recent recognition of Somaliland.

According to Israeli media reports, Saudi officials conveyed growing dissatisfaction with Israel’s diplomatic conduct, describing the move as yet another step that distances the two sides from a potential normalization agreement. Relations between Yerushalayim and Riyadh, which had shown signs of cautious engagement in the past, have recently cooled, with the Saudis repeatedly raising conditions and voicing disappointment over Israel’s actions.

A senior Saudi source, quoted by N12, said that Israel’s recognition of Somaliland sparked angry reactions across the Arab world and sent a negative signal to the Gulf kingdom. “Israel’s recognition of Somaliland pushes normalization with Riyadh further away and isolates Israel even more in the region,” the source said.

The same official pointed to domestic Israeli politics as an additional destabilizing factor, arguing that Prime Minister Bibi Netanyahu’s desire to remain in office is exacerbating regional tensions. “Netanyahu’s pursuit of another term only intensifies the regional upheaval,” the source claimed. “It creates confusion both inside Israel and throughout the broader Middle East.”

The Saudi official went further, posing a pointed rhetorical challenge to Jerusalem’s leadership. “How would Netanyahu react if Saudi Arabia were to support Palestinian liberation movements in Judea and Samaria and Gaza, or Lebanese liberation movements in southern Lebanon?” the source asked. “Would he see that as a declaration of war? And after all that, is he still talking about normalization? It’s madness.”

{Matzav.com}

An act of disturbing vandalism was recorded overnight outside the main Beit Yosef shul in Givatayim, after an unidentified individual was caught on security cameras tearing tefillin, siddurim, and talleisim and scattering the ripped items on the ground near the shul entrance.

According to information obtained by Matzav.com, the shul was open at the time and was not broken into, and no structural damage was caused.

In an unusual detail, the suspect did not take the tashmishei kedusha from inside the building. Instead, security footage shows the man arriving on an electric scooter, carrying the religious items with him, vandalizing them outside the shul, and then throwing the torn remains onto the floor near the entrance.

The incident took place at the Beit Yosef shul on Gilboa Street in Givatayim and was fully documented by the shul’s surveillance cameras. The footage shows the unidentified man calmly approaching the area and carrying out the act before leaving the scene.

Rav Shlomo Batzri, the rov and a son of the mekubal Rav Dovid Batzri, expressed deep pain over the incident. “Our community is a place of great unity and ahavas Yisroel,” he said. “Only recently, members of the ‘Brothers in Arms’ organization held a bar mitzvah here. The shul is constantly involved in kiruv rechokim, and it is shocking that something like this could be done in such a horrific manner. We are examining the circumstances and trying to understand what led to this.”

The motive behind the act remains unclear.

{Matzav.com}

A day that had already been marked by major transportation disruptions in and around Bnei Brak took an unexpected turn Sunday night, when a citywide power outage plunged multiple wedding celebrations into darkness. Hours earlier, protests organized by the Peleg had caused severe traffic congestion on the main roads leading into the city, complicating access for residents and guests alike.

As the evening weddings reached their height, electricity suddenly cut out across the city center, leaving large banquet halls without lighting or sound. Festive scenes were instantly replaced by darkness, forcing families and guests to improvise with cellphone flashlights in an effort to keep the simcha going.

Video footage from the halls showed expansive spaces almost entirely blacked out, with small beams of light flickering between tables. Guests were seen moving cautiously through the halls, trying to preserve some sense of celebration under difficult circumstances. The music came to a sudden halt, and the lively atmosphere gave way to an uneasy quiet.

Musicians and event staff were visibly shaken by the sudden shutdown. Yehuda Galili, a well-known keyboardist and Kol Chai Music broadcaster who was attending one of the weddings, was filmed standing beside his silent instruments in disbelief. Asked during a live radio broadcast how he was feeling, Galili said, “I’m in shock,” as those nearby explained, “Power outage, the whole area is shut down.”

{Matzav.com}

Palestinian Authority officials in Ramallah said Sunday that the humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip continues to deteriorate, estimating that roughly 200,000 caravans are required to provide basic shelter for displaced residents. The PA’s government operations room cited severe winter conditions, including heavy rain and storms, which have caused widespread damage to tents and makeshift housing, leaving thousands in worsening conditions.

Against that backdrop, a senior Hamas figure leveled sharp criticism at Israel over the ceasefire framework. Mahmoud Mardawi, a top official in the Hamas terror organization, charged that Israel has failed to comply with the commitments laid out in the agreement.

Mardawi alleged that Israel is selectively applying certain clauses of the deal while continuing what he described as a policy of “killing and starvation” directed at the Palestinian Arab population.

He urged the US administration to intervene, calling on Washington to apply political pressure on Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to ensure that the agreement is implemented in full and without delay.

According to Mardawi, carrying out all components of the ceasefire is a prerequisite for advancing to the second phase of the agreement, which he said is intended to bring an end to the fighting and alleviate civilian suffering in Gaza.

In that context, he added that a Palestinian Arab committee should be formed to administer the Gaza Strip, arguing that such a body must reflect the will of the Palestinian Arab people.

{Matzav.com}

Somalia has asked the United Nations Security Council to convene an emergency discussion over Israel’s decision to recognize Somaliland, with the session expected to take place on Monday. Somalia, which is set to assume the Security Council presidency in January, submitted the request on Saturday, one day after Israel announced the move.

The recognition has triggered sharp reactions from armed groups operating in the region. Al-Shabaab, the Somalia-based terrorist organization affiliated with Al-Qaeda, declared it would oppose any Israeli involvement in Somaliland following the announcement. “We will not accept it, and we will fight against it,” the group said in a statement. Al-Shabaab claimed the decision proved Israel “has decided to expand into parts of the Somali territories” in order to support what it described as “the apostate administration in the northwest regions.”

On Sunday, the leader of Yemen’s Houthi rebels, Abdul-Malik al-Houthi, also issued a warning directed at Israel. In a statement, he said that any Israeli presence on Somali territory would be treated as a legitimate military target. “We will not agree to violations of Somalia’s sovereignty or to a security threat against us and against the Horn of Africa region in general,” al-Houthi said.

Israel announced on Friday that it had formally recognized Somaliland, a territory that broke away from Somalia in 1991. Since declaring independence, Somaliland has maintained effective self-rule and relative stability, but it has failed to gain international recognition from any other country until now.

The Houthis have previously launched missile and drone attacks toward Israel since the outbreak of the war in Gaza. Those strikes stopped after a US-brokered ceasefire took effect in October, though the latest statements suggest renewed tensions following Israel’s move regarding Somaliland.

{Matzav.com}

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President Trump said he sees an opening for peace in Ukraine and suggested he would consider traveling to the country to help push an agreement forward, even raising the possibility of urging lawmakers there to accept territorial concessions to Russia. Speaking after talks with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Sunday, Trump said peace is “closer than ever before.”

The comments followed a lengthy meeting and working lunch at Mar-a-Lago, where Trump and Zelensky reviewed possible pathways to ending a war Trump described as “the biggest war, certainly the deadliest war, since World War II,” now approaching its fourth year.

Asked at a press conference whether he would personally go to Ukraine to assist negotiations, Trump said, “I’d have no problem with doing it.” He added, “I don’t anticipate it. I would like to get the deal done and not necessarily have to go,” but stressed that he had already offered to address Ukraine’s parliament if that step became necessary.

“I’ve offered to go and speak to their parliament,” Trump said, explaining that such a move could be relevant if Kyiv were asked to give up parts of the Donbas region.

Trump said Washington and Kyiv are largely aligned on Zelensky’s updated 20-point peace proposal, putting agreement at “95 percent,” while acknowledging that territory remains the hardest obstacle.

“There are one or two very thorny issues, very tough issues,” Trump said, singling out Donbas as an “issue they’re gonna have to iron out, but I think it’s moving in the right direction.”

He warned that delaying an agreement could worsen Ukraine’s position. “I think the land — you’re talking about — some of that land has been taken,” Trump said. “Some of that land is maybe up for grabs, but it may be taken over the next period of a number of months — and you’re better off making a deal now.”

Zelensky, for his part, emphasized that he does not have unilateral authority to give up Ukrainian territory, noting that any such decision would require parliamentary approval or a national referendum.

“It’s their land,” Zelensky said, referring to the Ukrainian public. “The land, not of one person, it’s the land of our nation for a lot of generations.”

Russia’s position remains uncompromising. President Vladimir Putin has insisted Ukraine relinquish the remainder of Donbas, even though Russian forces have been unable to seize it outright since the war began.

Zelensky’s revised plan pares down an earlier 28-point U.S. framework that had been criticized as leaning too far toward Moscow. The new proposal centers on security guarantees from the United States, NATO, and European allies, protections for Ukrainian sovereignty, and a proposed non-aggression arrangement.

Security guarantees, Zelensky said, are the linchpin. “We discussed all the aspects of the peace framework, which includes the 20-point peace plan — 90% agreed, and U.S.-Ukraine security guarantees — 100% agreed. U.S.-Europe-Ukraine security guarantees — almost agreed. Military dimension — 100% agreed,” he said.

Trump said he expects Russia to participate in rebuilding Ukraine once fighting ends and claimed the Kremlin “wants Ukraine to succeed.” Zelensky appeared uneasy as Trump made the remark, offering no public response.

Ukrainian officials have tread carefully around Trump, wary of provoking him. During the press conference, Trump briefly alluded to the volatile Oval Office clash with Zelensky on Feb. 28, a moment that has made Kyiv cautious in its dealings with the president.

Trump framed the stakes starkly. “There’s nothing more important,” he said of ending the conflict. “I solved eight wars, and this is the most difficult one.”

He warned of catastrophic losses if fighting continues. “I think if this goes on, you’re gonna have millions of additional people will be killed, millions, and no one wants that,’’ Trump said.

According to a June 2025 report by the Center for Strategic and International Studies, roughly 250,000 Russian soldiers have been killed, with total Russian casualties nearing 950,000 and another 50,000 missing. Zelensky said in January that about 400,000 Ukrainians have been killed or wounded, with 35,000 missing.

Despite his optimism, Trump declined to set a timeline for a deal.

Ahead of Sunday’s summit, Zelensky told reporters that Ukraine is “willing to do whatever it takes” to stop the war, even as Russian attacks intensified. Ukrainian officials said the country endured more than 2,100 drone strikes, nearly 800 guided bombs, and 94 missiles in the past week alone.

“Ukraine is willing to do whatever it takes to stop this war. For us, priority number one – or the only priority – is ending the war. For us, the priority is peace. We need to be strong at the negotiating table,” Zelensky said.

Before meeting Zelensky, Trump spoke with Putin and described the call as “good and very productive.” When pressed on details, he deflected, saying only, “We didn’t talk about the weather.” Trump added that he plans to brief Putin after his talks with Zelensky.

Putin struck a far more pessimistic tone on the eve of the summit, signaling little interest in compromise. “If Ukraine does not want to resolve everything peacefully, Russia will resolve all its objectives by military means,” Putin said, according to a translation. Moscow’s demands include major territorial concessions, limits on Ukraine’s armed forces, and a ban on Western alliances.

After the Mar-a-Lago talks, Trump said he and Zelensky spoke by phone with several European leaders, including French President Emmanuel Macron, Finnish President Alexander Stubb, Polish President Karol Nawrocki, Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer, and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte also joined the discussions.

Trump said he expects to convene another round of talks with Ukraine and European partners next month.

Sunday’s meeting marked the first in-person talks between Trump and Zelensky since Oct. 17 and included senior U.S. officials such as Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, White House chief of staff Susie Wiles, and Joint Chiefs Chairman General Dan Caine. Also present were special envoy Steve Witkoff, Jared Kushner, and senior adviser Stephen Miller.

{Matzav.com}

Hagaon Rav Meir Greineman was rushed to Sheba Medical Center late Friday night after suffering a cardiac event.

A grandson who had been learning with Rav Greineman on Friday night noticed that he was not responding and immediately summoned emergency medical services. Paramedics arrived at his home and decided to evacuate him to the hospital for urgent care.

Rav Greineman was admitted to the cardiac intensive care unit, where he is receiving close medical supervision. Hospital sources said he is in stable condition and is expected to undergo the implantation of a pacemaker.

Now 93, Rav Greineman is the last surviving nephew of the Chazon Ish zt”l and the author of the seforim Imrei Yosher.

All are asked to daven for Meir ben Tzivia.

{Matzav.com}

A discussion in the Knesset’s Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee exposed sharp gaps between political promises surrounding the chareidi draft law and the Israel Defense Forces’ actual manpower requirements.

During the heated session, Brig. Gen. Shay Taib, head of the Planning and Manpower Administration Division of the Israel Defense Forces, acknowledged that the targets proposed in the draft law fall well short of what the army needs.

Taib told lawmakers that even if the proposed framework is fully implemented, it will not provide an effective response to the IDF’s immediate manpower shortage. “The answer is still no — far from it,” he said bluntly, rejecting claims that the legislation would resolve the crisis in combat personnel.

According to data presented to the committee, the IDF expects to recruit approximately 10,000 chareidi men over the next two years. However, Taib conceded that a significant portion of those recruits would likely enlist anyway through existing general-track units. He described the political goal of having 35 percent of chareidi recruits serve as combat soldiers as “a very complex event,” noting that many recruits arrive at older ages or with various limitations that complicate combat placement.

One of Taib’s most striking statements concerned the timeline for creating a full chareidi brigade. Even under optimal conditions, he said, the IDF would only be able to establish such a brigade by 2030. “And even then,” he emphasized, “it will not replace the reserve forces.”

Addressing internal concerns within the military, Taib warned against what he termed “symbolic recruitment.” Without a rigorous screening mechanism to ensure that recruits meet the necessary physical and personal criteria, he cautioned, the targets would remain theoretical. Among the tougher alternatives raised was a proposal requiring that at least 50 percent of recruits be under the age of 21, a condition that would directly affect yeshiva students in the traditional post-yeshiva and shidduch-age brackets.

{Matzav.com}

The Satmar Rebbe, Rav Zalman Leib Teitelbaum, personally toured two newly constructed, grand event halls in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, “Eden Yoel” and “Eden Alta Faiga,” which are nearing completion and will soon serve the Satmar community.

During the visit, the Rebbe closely followed the accelerated pace of construction work, receiving detailed updates on the progress toward completing the expansive halls.

The project has drawn particular attention due to its commitment to providing high-quality facilities while adhering to regulated, significantly reduced takanah pricing, ensuring accessibility for families.

Both halls have been dedicated in name and spirit to the revered founders of Satmar: the rebbe Rav Yoel Teitelbaum and the Satmar Rebbetzin.

{Matzav.com}

Dozens of rabbanim and chassidishe rebbes convened Sunday evening in Yerushalayim to mount unified opposition to the proposed draft law in Israel. The location of the meeting was kept confidential until the late afternoon hours, and invitations were delivered quietly, as organizers sought to coordinate an uncompromising response to what they described as an existential threat to the Torah world.

The dramatic gathering took place as the chareidi public had been anticipating a scheduled meeting of the Chassidishe Moetzes Gedolei HaTorah at the residence of the Vizhnitzer Rebbe in Ora, which was ultimately canceled due to the frail health of the Gerrer Rebbe.

In parallel, the emergency assembly went ahead at the Vizhnitz Hall on Rechov Nechemia in Yerushalayim, drawing a cross-section of rabbonim.

Against the backdrop of intense deliberations surrounding the draft law, speakers at the gathering called for heavy pressure to be placed on Agudas Yisroel representatives and other chareidi political parties not to yield to any draft framework. Sharp words were heard from the podium warning of a dangerous escalation. “They began by taking bochurim who were not within the walls of the yeshivos to military prison, and then moved on to taking the finest bochurim,” one speaker declared. “The draft law is exactly that—a law meant to draft.”

A particularly emotional moment gripped the hall during the address of the Slonimer Rebbe, who spoke directly to public criticism leveled at the Torah community. “They tell me that people are dying in war while your sons sit in yeshivos,” he said. “Every day we accept upon ourselves the yoke of malchus Shamayim to give our lives for the Torah. There are values that are above life itself.”

Among those present were rebbes from courts including Slonim, Lelov, Bohush, Zvhill, Skulen Yerushalayim, Biala Bnei Brak, Pinsk-Karlin, Sasov, Vizhnitz Beit Shemesh, and others, alongside various roshei yeshiva and Sephardic rabbanim. Influential mashpi’im and mekubalim also took part.

Following lengthy deliberations, the participants reached a decision to hold a massive public rally on Monday, 16 Teves, in Yerushalayim.

A detailed statement outlining the decisions of the gathering was released. In it, the rabbanim declared their fierce protest against what they termed a “terrible decree of conscription” threatening observant Jews in Eretz Yisroel, with particular reference to the severe targeting of Sephardic yeshiva students. They asserted that the government has effectively declared war on Torah observance, with the aim of uprooting Jewish identity from the hearts of the nation.

The statement further ruled that it is strictly forbidden for any chareidi Jew to enlist in the army, including frameworks marketed as “chareidi tracks,” which the rabbanim said inevitably lead to spiritual destruction. This prohibition, they added, extends as well to alternative state-run programs such as national or civil service. The rabbanim warned against draft legislation that includes quotas, targets, or sanctions, stating that any law that involves agreement—direct or indirect—to the enlistment of chareidim is forbidden to support, even through abstention.

{Matzav.com}

[Video below.] A storm of outrage erupted Sunday night following violent clashes between police and chareidi demonstrators at the Givat Shmuel junction, where members of the Peleg Yerushalmi were protesting the arrest of yeshiva students labeled as draft evaders. Graphic footage obtained by Matzav.com shows a police officer striking, choking, and throwing a young chareidi boy to the ground.

The protest took place amid a tense and chaotic evening in Bnei Brak and surrounding access roads, as demonstrators took to the streets in response to recent arrests of yeshiva bochurim. According to eyewitnesses, security forces moved forcefully to disperse the crowd, leading to physical confrontations and scenes that many described as shocking.

As police declared the demonstration illegal and began clearing the roadway, a video published from the scene quickly spread through the chareidi community. The footage shows a police officer slapping a young boy, gripping him by the neck, and hurling him to the ground with apparent brutality.

In response to the uproar, Police Commissioner Danny Levy ordered an immediate internal investigation and instructed that the officer involved be removed from operational duty pending clarification of the incident.

WATCH:

{Matzav.com}

Against the backdrop of repeated demonstrations and road blockages on Geha Highway, residents of cities neighboring Bnei Brak are organizing an anti-chareidi counter-protest that could significantly affect traffic into the chareidi city ahead of Shabbos, according to a report by Walla News.

Posts circulating in protest groups outline plans for a coordinated “slow-drive” at key entrances to Bnei Brak, particularly on Fridays, with the stated goal of applying pressure in response to recurring highway closures and traffic disruptions in recent months. Organizers argue that police have been unable to prevent repeated blockages along Geha Highway, prompting them to pursue what they describe as a civilian, lawful form of protest.

Fridays are among the busiest traffic periods in Bnei Brak, and any slowdown during those hours could place heavy strain on movement throughout the city and complicate residents’ preparations for Shabbos.

Organizers say they intend to operate strictly within the law and claim they are in contact with police. According to their statements, they were told that as long as the activity remains legal, authorities are not expected to intervene.

No official response had been issued by police as of publication, and it remains unclear whether the planned action will go forward as described.

{Matzav.com}