Matzav

Senator John Fetterman used sharp language to call out Iran’s leadership after new reporting exposed the depth of the nation’s drought disaster. Responding to a Washington Post examination of Iran’s chronic water failures, he posted on X, “Iran spent billions to build a nuclear bomb and the proxies to destroy Israel instead of a water infrastructure.”

The senator followed with an even more direct rebuke, writing, “Iran or Gaza: stop attacking Israel and rebuild your own failed nations. Israel isn’t going anywhere.” His comments came as warnings mount that Tehran’s taps could run dry within weeks, with the capital already strained by a half-decade of drought.

The Washington Post report that triggered Fetterman’s reaction outlined how years of reckless water-use policies — particularly draining reserves for agricultural overproduction — have left the country with dangerously diminished supplies of clean water.

Analysts have long pointed out, and Fetterman echoed, that the Iranian regime has poured tens of billions into its nuclear ambitions and its network of terror groups throughout the region. Those funds, critics argue, could instead have been invested in desalination facilities and other lifesaving water-infrastructure projects needed to keep Iran’s population afloat.

{Matzav.com}

United Arab List leader MK Mansour Abbas pushed back forcefully this week when asked why he has not explicitly demanded the elimination of Hamas. Speaking on Channel 12, he responded pointedly, saying, “Maybe I don’t want them to assassinate me?” He reminded viewers that “since October 7th, I was interviewed a lot, I condemned [the attack], and I expressed sorrow and pain,” adding that he answers questions “as much as possible, what I can do, and what I can’t.”

During the broadcast, Abbas also addressed recent statements from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who implied that he intends to take steps toward banning Ra’am altogether. Abbas said the campaign against his party has been unrelenting, explaining, “I haven’t calmed down since yesterday. Since we were part of the previous coalition, there has been a political delegitimization campaign against us. There has also been incitement, accusations that we support terrorism, and they say that we are affiliated with the Muslim Brotherhood. The goal is to get us out of politics. Despite its expected loss in the next election, Netanyahu will refrain from forming an alternative government.”

He went on to describe what he sees as a sequence of actions that could threaten his party’s political future. “After the US decides to classify the Muslim Brotherhood as a terrorist organization, and affiliate us with them, disqualifying the Islamic Movement, the third step is to disqualify Ra’am from running in the next election,” he warned.

Abbas also criticized opposition leaders, arguing that they never accepted him or his faction as genuine partners. Reflecting on his entry into the previous coalition, he noted, “They allowed me to join the coalition in the ‘Government of Change’ (the previous government) only after I went to Netanyahu and he said that I was a legitimate partner. Only then did Lapid reach out to me, and we began to advance the formation of the government. They never gave me legitimacy, they never spoke with sympathy, love, or understanding.” He concluded with a sharp rebuke, saying he wants attention placed on the real challenges in Arab communities: “I don’t want them to talk about Ra’am, but rather about the problems in the Arab sector. Our blood spills in the street daily. Let them form a government without Ra’am.”

{Matzav.com}

A fresh national Gallup survey indicates that the share of American adults who say they have received a cancer diagnosis has climbed to its highest level on record. The poll found that 9.7% of adults reported having been told they had cancer during 2024–2025, a dramatic jump from 7.0% in 2008–2009.

For a number of years beginning in 2010, the percentage hovered only slightly above 7%, showing little movement. But over the last decade, the figure has risen steadily, marking a notable shift in long-term health trends.

Gallup points out that one of the central drivers of this increase is the fact that patients are surviving cancer in greater numbers and therefore remain part of the population reporting a diagnosis.

Data from the American Cancer Society reinforces that explanation. The organization says cancer deaths dropped by 1.7% per year from 2013 to 2022, and five-year survival rates have also strengthened — from 63% among those diagnosed in 1995–1997 to 69% among people diagnosed between 2014 and 2020.

Because more patients now outlive their disease, Gallup notes that the total number of Americans who can say they have ever received a diagnosis naturally continues to grow.

While cancer can affect individuals of all ages, the greatest concentration continues to be among older Americans, and the gap between age groups is expanding. Adults 65 and older saw a 3.4-point increase in reported diagnoses compared with Gallup’s 2008–2009 findings.

The latest poll shows that 21.5% of seniors said a medical professional had diagnosed them with cancer. Among adults aged 45 to 64, almost 9% reported the same.

According to the American Cancer Society, older age remains the single strongest risk factor for developing cancer. And with the U.S. Census Bureau projecting that people 65 and older will outnumber those under 18 by 2034, the upward trend is expected to intensify.

Gender differences also emerged in the latest Gallup numbers. Men now report a slightly higher lifetime diagnosis rate than women — 9.8% for men compared to 9.6% for women. Since 2008–2009, the share of men who say they’ve been diagnosed has climbed 3.6 points.

Gallup says the shift is partly due to major mortality improvements in cancers that historically hit men harder, such as lung and prostate cancer. Better PSA testing and sharp declines in smoking rates have contributed to the gains.

Women’s higher earlier totals stemmed largely from decades of breast cancer survivorship, especially among those diagnosed from roughly 1990 through 2010. Although breast cancer deaths are still declining, the pace of decline has slowed, and progress in reducing lung cancer mortality among women has lagged behind the improvements seen in men.

The broader takeaway from Gallup’s new findings is encouraging: more Americans are living through cancer than ever before. Still, with the nation’s population aging rapidly, the number of people who will report having had cancer at some point in their lives is poised to continue rising.

[Video below.] President Trump presided over this year’s White House turkey pardon with a barrage of jokes, needling political opponents, poking fun at his predecessor’s “autopen” signatures, and reviving last year’s birds for a second, “real” reprieve.

He opened by ribbing Joe Biden’s past ceremony, quipping that “Former President Joe Biden used an autopen for last year’s turkey pardons,” branding those signatures “totally invalid.” In Trump’s telling, Biden relied on the device so often that an autopen image now hangs in place of Biden’s portrait in the White House gallery.

The president said last year’s pair of turkeys — Peach and Blossom — had supposedly been routed toward processing until he stepped in. “The turkeys known as Peach and Blossom last year have been located and they were on their way to be processed… but I have stopped that journey and I am officially pardoning them, and they will not be served as Thanksgiving dinner,” he said with a grin.

This year’s stars, two hefty birds named Gobble and Waddle, were officially spared in the Rose Garden. Trump joked that their names almost took a more political turn. “When I first saw their pictures… I was going to call them [Senate Minority Leader] Chuck [Schumer] and [former House Speaker] Nancy [Pelosi], but then I realized I wouldn’t be pardoning them. I would never pardon those two people,” he said, adding, “I wouldn’t care what Melania told me.”

The pair joins the long roster of clemency actions he has issued across his second term, with more than 1,700 pardons already granted along with numerous commutations, although updated totals have not yet been released.

Continuing the banter, Trump said staffers tried to pitch an outrageous gag about deporting the birds. “My more enthusiastic staffers were already drafting the paperwork to ship Gobble and Waddle straight through the terrorist confinement center in El Salvador, and even those birds don’t want to be there,” he said, tying it to his immigration enforcement policies.

He also veered into local politics, saying aides prepared a joke about Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker but he was too irritated to deliver it after reading about a Chicago commuter who suffered burns in an attack. Instead, he went off script, declaring, “The mayor is incompetent and the governor is a big fat slob.”

Trump then mocked the very joke his team had drafted about Pritzker. “Some speechwriter wrote some joke about his weight, but I would never want to talk about his weight I don’t talk about people being fat. I refuse to talk about the fact that he’s a fat slob… I’d like to lose a few pounds too, by the way. And I’m not going to lose it on Thanksgiving.”

WATCH:

{Matzav.com}

Israel’s security establishment reported late Tuesday that a Red Cross delegation handed over the coffin of a fallen hostage to IDF and ISA personnel inside Gaza. The remains are now being transported into Israel for a formal military reception attended by an IDF Rabbi.

Once the ceremony concludes, the coffin will be moved to the Health Ministry’s National Center of Forensic Medicine, where specialists will carry out the official identification. Only after the process is complete will the family receive formal notification.

Officials confirmed that the families of all fallen hostages were informed of the developments earlier in the day.

The handover followed an announcement from the armed wings of Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad declaring that they would return a hostage’s body at 4 p.m., saying the remains had been located in the central Gaza Strip and that the transfer would be coordinated with the Red Cross.

As the hour approached, the IDF released an update stating that Red Cross teams were en route to take possession of the body.
“According to information received, the Red Cross is on its way to the meeting point in the central Gaza Strip, where a coffin of a deceased hostage will be transferred into its custody,” the military stated.

The IDF also urged restraint from the public, adding, “The IDF requests that the public act with sensitivity and wait for the official identification, which will first be provided to the families. Hamas is required to uphold the agreement and take the necessary steps to return all the deceased hostages.”

Shortly afterward, the IDF announced new information from the Red Cross: “According to information provided by the Red Cross, a coffin of a deceased hostage has been transferred into its custody and is on the way to IDF troops in the Gaza Strip.”

Well before the transfer took place, the Prime Minister’s Office issued a sharp rebuke to Islamic Jihad over its earlier statement identifying the location of items belonging to a deceased hostage. The PMO emphasized that “Israel views with severity the delay in their immediate transfer into its hands. This constitutes a further violation of the agreement. Israel demands the immediate return of the three deceased hostages still being held in the Gaza Strip.”

Despite Tuesday’s return of one set of remains, three bodies are still being held by terror groups: Israelis Dror Or and Master Sgt. Ran Gvili, and Thai national Sudthisak Rinthalak.

Master Sgt. Ran Gvili, a Negev Yasam officer, fell in combat at Kibbutz Alumim on October 7. Though wounded, he had rushed back into danger after leaving the hospital to assist during the assault. Communication with him ceased soon afterward. On January 31, 2024, he was officially declared fallen in battle and classified as a deceased hostage.

Dror Or, a well-known chef from Be’eri, was kidnapped from his home together with his three children, Alma, Noam, and nephew Liam, while his wife, Yonat, was murdered. Though the children were freed in earlier deals, Kibbutz Be’eri later confirmed on May 2 that Or had been murdered on the day of the attack and that Hamas continues to hold his body. He was 48.

Thai worker Sudthisak Rinthalak was seized while tending orchards in Be’eri. He, too, was murdered on October 7, and Hamas has kept his remains ever since. Rinthalak had been living in Israel since 2017, supporting his family back home in Thailand.

Shas chairman Aryeh Deri addressed the growing turmoil surrounding the proposed giyus legislation on Monday night, telling party MKs that discussions in the Knesset’s Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee are expected to begin “in the coming days.” Yet despite pressure from Prime Minister Netanyahu, Deri declined to promise that Shas will ultimately vote in favor of the final draft that emerges from the committee.

Deri gathered Shas MKs and numerous municipal representatives in the party’s Knesset room for a closed-door meeting as the debate around the bill continued to intensify. Speaking to the group, he emphasized that once the committee finishes its deliberations, the matter will be brought back to the Moetzet Chachmei HaTorah for guidance. Only after receiving clear direction from the gedolim, he said, will the faction determine how to vote.

At the meeting, Deri noted that if the gedolim ultimately approve the law, Shas believes it could secure the necessary majority during the current term — despite recent statements from several coalition MKs signaling that they may oppose it. “It’s possible that very soon this entire matter will already be behind us,” Deri remarked.

The controversy follows a strongly worded public letter last week from the former Rishon LeTzion, Rav Yitzchak Yosef, who sharply criticized those running campaigns against chareidi representatives.

“They are the same people who have been dividing and attacking the chareidi community for decades and even pursued my father during his lifetime,” Rav Yosef wrote. “Their intentions are not for the sake of Heaven, and one must stay far away from them and from their harmful ways.”

Addressing the draft legislation itself, Rav Yosef reiterated that the issue of regulating the status of yeshiva students remains fully in the hands of the special committee appointed by the Moetzet Chachmei HaTorah, which is overseeing the matter with “complete responsibility.”

On Monday, a senior chareidi figure deeply involved in the giyus discussions said that the proposed law is unlikely to pass at all — and if it does, it may not survive Supreme Court scrutiny.

“The law, in all likelihood, will not pass, and if it does pass, it will not stand in the Supreme Court,” he said. “Attias drafted a bill mainly to show the rabbanim that genuine efforts were made to address the issue. Maybe it will even help bring us back into the government — even without full legislation.”

The official added that the committee deliberations could still result in major changes. Among the scenarios being discussed is a demand by the committee’s legal advisor to raise the first-year draft quota to 7,500 recruits — a move that would require drafting approximately an additional 1,500 chareidim in the law’s initial year.

Within the Knesset, many believe that the legislation will not make it through during the current term — and even if it does, it may be struck down in the courts. For now, all eyes are on the committee’s upcoming sessions and the final word of the gedolim, upon whom the Shas faction has made clear its decision will ultimately depend.

{Matzav.com}

A new Saint Anselm College snapshot of the 2028 Republican landscape shows Vice President JD Vance towering over anyone who might consider challenging him, Breitbart reports. The New Hampshire survey — taken November 18–19 with a ±2.1 percent margin of error — places him in a position of overwhelming strength among likely GOP voters in the state.

Although the poll was initially released with Vance at 54 percent, a quick update clarified that his actual standing is 57 percent. That corrected figure, shared by WMUR’s Adam Sexton, underscores just how wide the gulf is between the vice president and the rest of the potential contenders.

The field behind him is barely competitive by comparison. Secretary of State Marco Rubio registers nine percent, and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis comes in at seven percent. Another cluster — Vivek Ramaswamy, Nikki Haley, and Tulsi Gabbard — lands at four percent each, while Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) and Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin scrape the bottom with one percent apiece.

Rubio’s calculation appears to reflect the same reality the polling reveals. Politico reported earlier this month that people close to the secretary of state say he is unlikely to run if Vance steps into the race. The report notes Rubio has quietly signaled he would support Vance outright and could even join him on the ticket.

That possibility has already been given a boost from the top. President Donald Trump, speaking aboard Air Force One on October 27, remarked that a potential Vance-Rubio ticket would be “unstoppable.”

Vance’s commanding position is not just due to polling. Within the second Trump administration, he has become a central powerbroker, simultaneously serving as vice president and taking on the unprecedented responsibility of Finance Chairman for the Republican National Committee. The RNC now holds more than $86 million in cash on hand as of mid-November — a milestone that Chairman Joe Gruters credits directly to the vice president’s involvement. Gruters has said Vance’s expanded portfolio has been crucial to the party’s midterm-focused ground game and fundraising push.

The release of the poll also came on the heels of a high-profile policy conversation Vice President Vance participated in on November 20 in Washington, DC. Hosted by Breitbart News and moderated by its Washington Bureau Chief, Matthew Boyle, the discussion touched on accomplishments of the Trump-Vance administration and its direction moving forward. The gathering, backed by CGCN and the ALFA Institute, is part of a continuing series highlighting key administration officials.

{Matzav.com}

In Bnei Brak on Sunday night, the illustrious gaon Rav Meir Greineman, nephew of the Chazon Ish, brought a newly written Sefer Torah into the Beis Medrash HaGadol established by his late brother, Rav Chaim Greineman.

Rav Meir had personally commissioned the Sefer Torah from a master sofer over the past year, maintaining complete secrecy throughout the process. Only when the Sefer Torah was fully completed did he disclose it to his family, following the path of the Chazon Ish himself, who likewise kept the writing of his own Sefer Torah hidden until it was finished.

The hachnasah was carried out with the simplicity and tznius that are hallmarks of the Greineman household. The procession began at the home of Rav Shmuel Greineman, Rav Meir’s nephew, directly across from the beis medrash. With no advance notices and no public arrangements, the family and a small group of close talmidim escorted the Sefer Torah.

The paroches on the Sefer Torah bears only the pasuk, “V’zos haTorah asher sam Moshe lifnei Bnei Yisroel.”

{Matzav.com}

Rabbi Yosef Yitzchak Naeh zt”l, the longtime principal of the Or Torah Talmud Torah in Tiveriah, passed away suddenly at the age of 75. He collapsed on Shabbos and was rushed to the hospital in critical condition, where he was pronounced dead Monday morning.

Rabbi Naeh was a grandson of one of the most prominent halachic authorities of the previous generation, Rav Avraham Chaim Naeh zt”l.

He was born on the ninth of Nissan 5710 (1950) to his father, Rabbi Baruch Naeh, a leading Chabad rov in Yerushalayim, and to his mother, Hadassah, daughter of Rabbi Yoel Ashkenazi of Tiveriah.

He married the daughter of Rabbi Avraham Ben Tzion Friedman, one of the pioneering members of the chareidi community in Be’er Sheva.

For decades, Rabbi Naeh led the Or Torah Talmud Torah in Tiveriah, educating generations of students and earning a reputation as an exceptional and devoted educator. In recent years, he relocated to Ramat Gan.

He is survived by a large, distinguished family.

The levayah was held at the Segula Cemetery in Petach Tikvah.

Yehi zichro boruch.

{Matzav.com}

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{Matzav.com}

Jonathan Pollard delivered a blistering rebuke of Israel’s senior leadership in a new conversation with Kan Reshet Bet, arguing that the country’s top decision-makers failed the nation in the aftermath of the October 7th atrocities.

“The whole country was abandoned and betrayed. We need a clean sweep, with new people replacing the old on the right, left, and center,” he declared, insisting that those in power forfeited the public’s trust.

He directed much of his outrage at Prime Minister Netanyahu, calling on him to take personal responsibility for the catastrophe of October 7th and to immediately halt the flow of Qatari money into Gaza.

Pollard also accused Netanyahu of bending too readily to Washington’s demands. He said, in reference to the canceled strike at the end of Operation Rising Lion, that “A prime minister worthy of the name would have told the president, ‘You know, we’ll get back to you when we finish what we’ve started, keep your opinion to yourself.’”

Although Pollard once backed Netanyahu without hesitation, he now says that confidence has evaporated. “When I said I couldn’t imagine a better prime minister, unfortunately, I was a bit too naive. Now I can imagine a better prime minister.”

Looking ahead, Pollard disclosed that he is weighing a political path of his own. He said he has already assembled a close circle of associates with plans to establish a new political framework and is considering whether to launch a fresh party or take control of an existing one.

He also addressed the uproar surrounding a New York Times report that he had met with U.S. Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee in Yerushalayim over the summer. According to Pollard, the story’s source was the CIA, which he said leaked it out of lingering hostility toward him. He emphasized that the meeting was entirely aboveboard and carried no irregularities.

{Matzav.com}

Andrew Cuomo is now openly arguing that his defeat in the New York City mayoral race wasn’t the result of Zohran Mamdani’s surge — but Curtis Sliwa’s presence on the ballot. In a lengthy appearance on 77 WABC, Cuomo insisted that the Republican contender siphoned off just enough votes to derail his path to City Hall.

In the interview, Cuomo repeatedly branded Sliwa “a total fraud for decades,” charging that his candidacy served no purpose other than sabotaging Cuomo’s campaign. He said bluntly that if Sliwa had stepped aside, he “would’ve won” the race against the now–Mayor-Elect.

Cuomo discussed the election outcome with former Governor David Paterson, who admitted he had “never heard” of Mamdani’s name until earlier in the year and questioned how Mamdani “able to do what he did.” That remark opened the door for Cuomo to argue that the race was defined more by Republican missteps than by Mamdani’s rise.

Looking back, Cuomo claimed he always expected Sliwa to bow out. “I always believed he [Sliwa] would drop out because there was no way for him to win,” he said, insisting that Sliwa’s only role was to “be a spoiler and be responsible for Zohran’s victory.” Cuomo said he remained stunned that “as a Republican, he would … could live with himself and the Republicans could live with him as the person who elected Zohran, which is exactly what happened.”

Cuomo emphasized that even a minor shift in the numbers would have reshaped the contest. “If he had dropped out, I would have won, I’m convinced,” he said. “Because I would have gotten that seven, I would’ve been about a point from Zohran, but it would have changed the whole dynamic.”

He also accused Sliwa of spending the campaign “with the clown show,” directing far more fire at Cuomo than at Mamdani. When Paterson noted that Sliwa’s relatives had been calling the station claiming he wasn’t given equal time, Cuomo countered that WABC and Sid Rosenberg “made Sliwa” and “gave him tremendous coverage.”

Cuomo then revisited Sliwa’s controversial history, claiming the media ignored it. “Again, talking about election coverage — nobody ever mentioned that Sliwa has been a total fraud for decades,” he said, pointing to past scandals. He referenced the period “when it turned out that the Guardian Angels and Sliwa made up a whole raft of stories of rescues that they did, that turned out not to be true — that Sliwa said he was kidnapped by the New York Police Department and held, and then admitted that wasn’t true.”

By the end of the conversation, Cuomo summed up his view plainly: “I believe he cost me the election,” asserting once more that he would have prevailed had Sliwa not entered the race.

His comments followed Mamdani’s sweeping victory, which Breitbart News noted came after “consistent polling” showed him in the lead. Final totals reported by CNN put Mamdani at 50.4 percent, Cuomo at 41.6 percent, and Sliwa at 7.1 percent.

The tension between Sliwa and WABC had flared before Election Day as well. In a particularly heated moment during an earlier interview, Sid Rosenberg warned Sliwa he was self-sabotaging. “So far, you’ve been on this show for eight minutes, and all you’ve talked about is Cuomo,” Rosenberg told him. “And, I know you hate him, and I’m going to be honest with you, Curtis — because we’ve been friends for a long time — I don’t feel like you’re running against Mamdani anymore.”

{Matzav.com}

Israeli emergency crews on Monday rescued a teenage boy who had been trapped for roughly nine hours atop a crane suspended over a high-rise building in Yerushalayim.

Channel 12 News reported that the 15-year-old, stranded on a small platform hanging from the crane’s hook atop a 36-story building, phoned Fire and Rescue Services himself, reportedly telling them: “I need help, I’m stuck. I wanted to see the view.”

Petty Officer Eyal Cohen, deputy commander of the Yerushalayim District Fire and Rescue Station, said the boy had climbed to a height of about 328 feet around midnight, slipped and was “miraculously” stopped by a counterweight.

“He screamed throughout the night,” Cohen said. “The report came in the morning, and crews from the Ha’uma Station rescued him professionally. Only by a miracle did he make it out alive.”

Rescuers from the Yerushalayim District’s Special Rescue Unit were dispatched with additional personnel after the call came in. They rigged rope systems on the crane, navigated obstacles and a difficult angle, reached the boy and secured him safely.

He was lowered to the ground in good condition and handed over to medical and police crews for evaluation, authorities said.

The incident took place at the same tower where a 15-year-old boy fell to his death during the atzeres tefillah about a month ago. The Oct. 30 incident was reportedly a suicide. Authorities said they do not suspect Monday’s event was a suicide attempt.

“This was a very complex rescue, both because of the great height and the difficult angle of the crane,” Lt. Cmdr. Shai Nechemia, commander of the Ha’uma station, told Channel 12 News. “The fighters acted with discretion and professionalism to construct a rope system that enabled safe access to the boy and his rescue.”

{Matzav.com}

Israeli opposition leader Yair Lapid told JNS on Monday that Israel would “effectively” exercise its right to self-defense against the Iranian regime’s nuclear and ballistic missile programs “if necessary.”

“I think Iran is an existential threat to the Middle East and to the entire world, and it’s not only an Israeli problem, it’s a global problem,” said Lapid, speaking at a meeting of his Yesh Atid Party at the Knesset.

Iran’s ballistic missile program is “threatening the entire region, and therefore, it’s an American problem, a Saudi problem, an Emirati problem, an Israeli problem,” added Lapid, speaking in English.

Israel reserves the right to protect itself “under any circumstances, and we will effectively use this right if necessary,” he said.

Tehran has rebuilt most of its missile arsenal and is approaching the number of projectiles it had before the 12-day conflict with Israel in June, Israeli security officials cited by Channel 13 said over the weekend.

The Islamic Republic has accelerated production of surface-to-surface missiles and is expected to amass within a few months approximately 2,000 missiles capable of reaching the Jewish state, the report said.

Between June 13-24, Iran launched over 550 ballistic missiles and sent 1,000-plus UAVs (unmanned aerial vehicles) toward Israel’s territory.

At the start of the war, the Israel Defense Forces revealed an Iranian plan for a combined aerial and ground assault that sought to “destroy the State of Israel and establish a Palestinian state on its ruins.”

In parallel with Iran’s efforts to obtain nuclear weapons, the regime had focused on producing “tens of thousands” of missiles and drones, while advancing its plans to carry out a “combined ground offensive against Israel on multiple fronts simultaneously,” the IDF stated on June 13.

The Islamic Republic’s “Destruction of Israel Plan” was to have started with a “large-scale rocket and missile barrage” on Israel, launched by the regime’s terror proxies in Lebanon, Yemen and across the region.

Amid the aerial assault, thousands of terrorists were to invade Israel from the Gaza Strip, Judea, Samaria, Syria, Jordan, Iraq and Yemen.

Benny Gantz, a former IDF chief of staff and defense minister who now heads the opposition National Unity Party, told JNS on Monday that “another conflict won’t be necessary if Iran stops what it does—so actually it’s in the Iranian’s hands.”

However, “if they will reignite their nuclear process, and other ways of convincing them will not work, then another round is not necessarily inevitable, but an option definitely,” the opposition lawmaker stated.

“The missiles that the Iranians are making are not just a threat to the State of Israel; they are endangering the entire Middle East,” said Gantz, adding: “And definitely if they come in high qualities, it might become kind of [a] potential existential threat, as everybody saw.”

Jerusalem “knows how to deal with it, and whether we do it defensively or whether we do it offensively, Israel will stay a safe place to live in,” he vowed, while warning the same might not be true for Iran if the regime “will continue in this direction” of nuclear proliferation.

Also on Monday, the Islamic regime denounced a resolution by the International Atomic Energy Agency demanding that Iran fully cooperate with the agency and provide “precise information” about its stockpile of near weapons-grade uranium, as well as grant its inspectors access to nuclear sites.

Israeli Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei slammed the resolution as “a stain on the designers and sponsors of it,” and said “no meaningful negotiation will take shape” until the United States halts its “dictates” to Iran.

Iran sent a letter to Saudi Arabia last week asking Riyadh to convince the Trump administration to reopen nuclear negotiations, Reuters reported.

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian wrote to Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman that Tehran is not looking for confrontation and that the regime is “open to resolving the nuclear dispute through diplomacy, provided its rights are guaranteed,” per the Reuters report.

The regime denied sending the missive, with Baqaei telling the state-run IRNA news agency on Monday that “the president’s letter to the crown prince … did not include any reference regarding negotiations.”

{Matzav.com}

A Melbourne courtroom delivered a controversial determination on Monday, concluding that the man who set the East Melbourne Synagogue ablaze last summer acted out of mental instability rather than hatred toward Jews. According to JNS, the ruling left many unsettled as the country continues to see a surge in attacks targeting Jewish institutions.

The judge, Magistrate Malcolm Thomas, accepted the argument that 35-year-old Angelo Loras was suffering from an untreated schizophrenic episode when he poured accelerant on the shul’s front entrance and lit it on fire on July 4. His delusions, the court said, stemmed from failing to take prescribed medication.

Loras entered guilty pleas to arson and to recklessly endangering lives. Because of the time he already spent in custody, he became eligible to walk free on Monday. Roughly 20 people had been gathered inside the building for a Friday night meal when the flames broke out, heightening the alarm across Melbourne’s Jewish community.

The attack coincided with a separate violent outburst at an Israeli restaurant in the city that same night, an incident in which the establishment sustained considerable damage, adding to a sense of unease.

Reacting to the court’s decision, Jamie Hyams, Director of Public Affairs at the Australia/Israel & Jewish Affairs Council, told JNS, “This is a difficult one because there do seem to be genuine mental health issues, but it’s perhaps worrying that Mr. Loras, who was born in Iran, came to have a bag with flammable liquids and something to start a fire with, that he came to choose a synagogue out of all the available buildings, and that he came to be there on a Friday night and was trying to gain entry. We certainly hope this was indeed just an unfortunate coincidence, and that there will be no repeat.”

His comments reflect a broader concern: antisemitic activity in Australia has climbed sharply since the Israel-Gaza conflict erupted in October 2023.

In early December, the Adass Israel Synagogue in Melbourne was struck by a firebombing. Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese later announced that Iran’s government orchestrated that attack along with another assault targeting the Jewish community.

Just days after the Adass Israel incident, a car in the Sydney suburb of Woollahra—home to a large Jewish population—was torched, and two properties were defaced with anti-Israel graffiti, marking yet another escalation.

Elsewhere in Sydney, the phrase “[Curse] the Jews” was spray-painted onto a vehicle, serving as another disturbing reminder of rising hate.

The pattern continued into January. The Southern Sydney Synagogue in Allawah was hit with antisemitic graffiti, followed the next day by red swastikas plastered across the façade of the Newtown shul in the city’s inner west.

Another violation occurred when a home previously owned by Alex Ryvchin, co-chief executive of the Executive Council of Australian Jewry, was vandalized.

The climate has been further inflamed by rhetoric online. In February, a video circulated in which two Australian nurses, Ahmad Rashad Nadir and Sarah Abu Lebdeh, declared they would refuse medical treatment to Israelis and would send them “to h—.” Authorities responded by barring both individuals from working with participants in the National Disability Insurance Scheme for two years.

{Matzav.com}

Park East Synagogue in Manhattan received an unannounced show of support on Monday when outgoing New York City Mayor Eric Adams stopped by the shul that had been subjected just days earlier to a jarring anti-Israel demonstration. Protesters had gathered outside the building shouting “globalize the intifada” and “death to the IDF,” turning a routine community event into a scene of hostility.

Adams used his visit to send a message of resolve. “We don’t back down in the face of hate – we show up,” he posted, emphasizing that he stood “proudly” beside Rabbi Arthur Schneier and the shul’s members to “celebrate Jewish life and reaffirm our unshakable bond with Israel after last week’s antisemitic protests.” He went on to stress, “Neither antisemitism nor ANY other form of hate has any place in NYC.”

Images from the visit showed the mayor speaking warmly with congregants and posing alongside Rabbi Schneier, underscoring his intention to reassure the community after a tense week.

The demonstration that triggered the outcry took place the previous Wednesday, when roughly 200 activists organized by Pal-Awda NY/NJ assembled outside the synagogue during an event sponsored by Nefesh B’Nefesh. Attendees were jeered as they arrived, and one protest leader riled up the crowd by declaring: “It is our duty to make them think twice before holding these events… We need to make them scared.”

Adams was traveling abroad when the incident unfolded, but the aftermath reverberated through City Hall. First Deputy Mayor Randy Mastro later said the mayor was furious that police officers had allowed demonstrators to reach the entrance. NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch personally apologized to the congregation, acknowledging that the department had not adequately protected the event.

Federal officials soon stepped in. On Sunday, the U.S. Department of Justice announced the launch of a probe into the protest. Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights Harmeet Dhillon stated, “Every time we see violence around a house of worship, we take action,” confirming that a federal investigation “is underway.” She added that the DOJ maintains “zero tolerance” for obstruction “around any American house of worship.”

Local reactions continued to pour in. Several elected officials denounced the protest outright, while a spokesperson for Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani issued a more mixed response. The spokesperson condemned the demonstration, yet also said Mamdani believes that “sacred spaces should not be used to promote activities in violation of international law,” without explaining how Nefesh B’Nefesh’s work could possibly fit that category.

All of this unfolded against a troubling backdrop: fresh NYPD statistics released the day before the mayoral election won by Mamdani showed that Jews were targeted in 62% of all hate crimes reported last month—29 antisemitic incidents out of 47 total—highlighting the tension gripping the city’s Jewish community as leaders confront rising threats.

{Matzav.com}

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A tense moment unfolded in Yerushalayim on Monday night when the vehicle transporting Mayor Moshe Lion came under attack while he was visiting the Meah Shearim area. According to his office, rocks struck the car and shattered the rear window.

Despite the violent outburst, Mayor Lion emerged without injury. Law enforcement units were quickly sent to the location, and authorities have launched a full investigation into the incident.

The Israel Police later confirmed the event, stating: “In the past hour, a report was received regarding stones thrown at a vehicle traveling on Avinoam Yellin Street in Yerushalayim, with the mayor inside. No injuries were reported, though damage was caused to the vehicle’s window.”

Municipal officials also released a statement describing what took place, noting: “During the mayor’s visit to the Meah Shearim neighborhood, several rioters attacked his vehicle, causing, among other damage, a crack in the rear window. The mayor was not physically harmed and continued his schedule as planned. The incident has been transferred to the police. The municipality views any attempt to harm elected officials or disrupt public order with great severity and will continue to act decisively to safeguard security in the city.”

{Matzav.com}

A storm of anger is sweeping through the normally quiet Shaarei Tzion kehillah in Bat Yam after their shul, led by Rav Moshe Gabay, became the repeated target of hateful vandalism — including spray-painted swastikas. Mispallelim say that despite providing police with the identities of the culprits, the case was closed without any criminal action.

Police, however, claim the initial complaint was investigated and transferred to prosecutors — and that a second complaint could not be pursued without new evidence.

According to the kehillah, vandals struck the building multiple times over the past year. They sprayed obscenities, anti-religious slurs, and prominently displayed swastikas and other offensive imagery. Some of the attacks reportedly took place on Friday nights, causing significant fear and distress among community members.

The repeated desecrations left the shul’s leadership shaken. Each time, the gabbai’im collected footage from the shul’s security cameras and filed detailed police reports. They say they even submitted the names and phone numbers of the teenagers they believe are responsible.

Despite what members describe as “clear, incriminating evidence,” they were stunned to learn that the case was categorized merely as “property damage,” not as a hate crime or racist incitement offense. Soon after, the file was closed — prompting sharp criticism from congregants who accuse the police of dismissing the severity of the attacks.

Community members argue that the handling of the case reflects broader concerns about how law enforcement responds to incidents involving religious or ethnic hatred. With antisemitic incidents rising worldwide, they say, ignoring swastika graffiti on a shul sends a dangerous message.

Closing the case effectively leaves the suspects free and the shul vulnerable to future attacks, residents warn.

Photographs from the scene show swastikas and graphic vandalism scrawled across the building’s walls, adding to the sense of violation felt by the worshippers.

In response to inquiries, the Bat Yam Police spokesperson released new information disputing claims that the investigation was abandoned.

“Until now, two complaints have been filed. The first complaint was submitted in August three months ago — the findings were examined, the suspect was questioned, and the case was transferred to the prosecution unit,” police said.

This means, according to police, that the initial investigation reached the stage where prosecutors could consider filing charges.

However, they clarified that the second complaint — filed a month later in September — did not advance to a new investigation.

“A second complaint was submitted in September, but the documentation was identical to the previous complaint, which made it very difficult for police to open a new investigation,” a senior police official explained.

Police say they are willing to handle any future incidents, but only with updated material.

“If the shul’s leadership is suffering from additional harassment, they must submit a new, detailed complaint with new documentation, and not use images already addressed in the investigation from the first complaint,” the official stated.

This position places the burden back on the shul, even as community members continue to express frustration over what they believe is the downplaying of antisemitic vandalism and the failure to recognize swastika graffiti on a shul as a hate-motivated crime.

{Matzav.com}