Matzav

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Over the past few years, Tzedek has proudly stood alongside childless couples navigating the painful journey of infertility. 

What began as a focused effort to secure insurance coverage for fertility treatments has grown into a broader movement of advocacy.

This week, Tzedek welcomed a significant step forward in this mission.

The Trump administration announced that they are launching TrumpRX in the beginning of January. This is a new initiative that will significantly reduce the cost of fertility treatments for families relying on them by reducing fertility treatment medication by a whopping 85% reduction. This unprecedented deal with the main pharmaceutical companies is expected to eliminate several thousand dollars per cycle, relief that will be felt immediately by couples already stretched to their limits.

When Tzedek first raised its voice on this issue, the goal was simple yet ambitious, to see infertility treatment recognized as healthcare, and covered accordingly. At the time, the idea of removing thousands of dollars from each cycle felt far beyond reach. But today, that dramatic relief is beginning to materialize.

At the same time, the broader objective remains firmly in sight. Encouragingly, there has been positive communications with the White House that the administration is actively exploring changes that include insurance-based solutions as well, our ultimate goal. This development, when fully realized, will represent a historic turning point for families across the community. Klal Yisroel is mispallel that these efforts come to fruition, bringing a long-awaited yeshua to so many of our anguished brothers and sisters.

The new TrumpRX platform will operate under the leadership of the acclaimed Dr. Oz – Administrator of CMS, who previously addressed a large Tzedek conference regarding this matter and the work done to alleviate this difficult predicament. Dr. Oz has assembled a team that includes the company behind the successful Airbnb platform, a move that has generated optimism that the rollout will be efficient, accessible, and smooth.

Rabbi Moshe Margareten, founder and president of Tzedek, expressed deep gratitude to the community upon this new development. Rabbi Margereten has previously visited the White House in his capacity as community ambassador with the acclaimed fertility expert Dr. Kaylen Silverberg, and more recently with Dr. Joshua Klein, to push for positive advancements on this front.

“None of this happens in a vacuum,” he said. “We thank Klal Yisroel for standing with us and enabling us to deliver this good news, news that goes even beyond what we originally hoped for. This initiative will BEZ”H save our community many millions of dollars and ease an unbearable burden for so many couples, and there is more good news to come.”

It is hoped that this program will continue to expand in the months ahead, with even steeper discounts and broader eligibility that will further transform what was once an impossible challenge into a manageable path forward.

For families who have waited too long, the Tzedek team celebrates this win but promises not to rest until every couple relying on this treatment is able to attain it, and with Hashem’s help build their own healthy bayis ne’eman b’Yisroel!

Tehran indicated that it did not view its security posture as purely reactive, stressing that it “does not consider itself limited to reacting after the fact, and considers objective signs of threat as part of the security equation.”

The warning followed growing concern inside Iran over what officials described as hostile rhetoric and pressure from adversaries. The council said, “The long-standing enemies of this land… are pursuing a targeted approach by repeating and intensifying threatening language and interventionist statements in clear conflict with the accepted principles of international law, which is aimed at dismembering our beloved Iran and harming the country’s identity.”

In a broader statement addressing national defense, the body underscored the seriousness with which it viewed potential attacks, declaring that “Iran’s security, independence and territorial integrity are an uncrossable red line, and any aggression or continuation of hostile behavior will be met with a proportionate, decisive and decisive response.”

The Defense Council, established to lead strategic planning in the aftermath of the 2025 war with Israel, warned that Iran could launch a preemptive strike if it determined that an imminent threat to the country’s security was taking shape.

{Matzav.com}

A rare and unusually sharp unsigned editorial published Tuesday in the Israeli Hebrew Yated Ne’eman, the flagship newspaper of the Degel HaTorah faction of UTJ, has laid bare a profound internal fracture within the chareidi public over the proposed IDF draft law. The article, attributed only to “one of the rabbonim,” launches a fierce attack on opponents of the legislation and places significant blame on the Chassidishe Agudas Yisroel faction of UTJ for what it describes as a worsening crisis, all against the backdrop of hundreds of chareidi young men enlisting in the IDF in recent days.

The editorial, described by observers as unprecedented in tone for Yated Ne’eman, targets critics of the draft bill being advanced by Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee chairman Boaz Bismuth. The paper argues that “in the face of a campaign of propaganda and falsehoods, there is a need to present the unvarnished truth.” Beneath that claim, however, the article reflects deep frustration within the Litvishe chareidi camp over what it sees as the erosion of its long-standing leadership role in shaping chareidi policy and public discourse.

For decades, Yated Ne’eman and the Litvishe rabbinic leadership it represents were widely viewed as setting the tone on the most sensitive communal issues, with other chareidi factions often deferring to their guidance. According to the report, senior Chassidic rebbes once waited to hear the Litvishe position before taking public stances on controversial matters.

That dynamic, the article suggests, has changed dramatically. In recent years, those from other chareidi communities have shown diminishing interest in Litvishe positions. Large anti-draft rallies have been held in defiance of leading Litvishe rabbanim, and Yated Ne’eman now openly laments that Chassidic newspapers and leaders feel free to attack the draft law publicly.

The split is increasingly visible across the chareidi media landscape. In recent weeks, Chassidic newspapers have waged an aggressive campaign against the proposed law, while the Litvishe public has largely remained quieter. Shas, which often aligns with the Litvishe camp, has also been drawn into the divide. A major anti-draft rally scheduled for Yerushalayim today highlights how fractured the chareidi street has become.

The tension is compounded by hard numbers. According to the report, between 600 and 700 chareidi young men are expected to enlist in the IDF this week alone — a figure far higher than what chareidi political operatives had anticipated. The army is seen as the primary beneficiary of the disunity.

The rift extends beyond Yated Ne’eman. Also this morning, Hamodia, identified with the Gerer Chassidus and Housing Minister Yitzchok Goldknopf, devoted a full page to opposing the draft law. HaMevaser, aligned with the Shlomei Emunim faction led by the Porush family, published similarly scathing criticism. In contrast, Yated Ne’eman devoted its editorial space to explaining why, in its view, the law must be passed.

In its arguments, Yated Ne’eman reiterates a core position: the Toraso umnaso arrangement is intended solely for genuine full-time lomdei Torah and must not be exploited by young men who are not learning seriously. This is a position that was famously held by Rav Elazar Menachem Man Shach. At the same time, it insists that military service itself remains absolutely forbidden. The paper stresses that the struggle over conscription must not be conflated with the broader mission of preserving the Torah world, warning that such conflation is “entirely destructive.”

For years, tens of thousands of chareidi young men who were not learning were nevertheless covered by the exemption framework, until the law expired. From a chareidi ideological perspective, the paper argues, even an idle young man is preferable on the street than in uniform, out of fear that the visible presence of chareidi soldiers would normalize enlistment and eventually unravel the fabric of chareidi society.

Yated Ne’eman places responsibility for the current vacuum squarely on “other factions within United Torah Judaism,” accusing them of blocking earlier, more favorable legislation while insisting on waiting for a better political opportunity, a fact that has been highlighted many times in the past.

The paper further claims that chareidi opponents of the bill are “preventing any form of rescue, even a minimal one,” and dismisses reports suggesting that leading Litvishe gedolim have agreed to compromises on the severity of the draft issue as “an outrageous falsehood.”

Warning of dire consequences, the editorial argues that arrests and imprisonment of chareidi youth place them under “bitter and severe trials,” increasing the risk that some will ultimately enlist. For that reason, it says, legislation eliminating arrests is essential. In particularly harsh language, the Yated accuses Agudas Yisroel of exacerbating the crisis and of having the audacity to blame “the leading sages of the generation who are working to save the entire Torah world.”

The paper concludes by demanding that opponents support any law that removes arrests from the equation. Once such legislation is passed, it argues, each community’s leadership would be free to instruct its followers to continue resisting the army, reject deferments, sever all contact with military authorities, and publicly declare that they do not fear arrest.

The Israeli Yated has no connection to the American newspaper that goes by the same name.

{Matzav.com}

Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar carried out a first-ever official diplomatic visit to Hargeisa on Tuesday, marking a major step toward full diplomatic relations between Israel and Somaliland. The visit was conducted discreetly at the request of security officials and was cleared for publication only afterward.

Sa’ar traveled to Somaliland at the invitation of President Abdirahman Mohamed Abdillahi, following the signing of a historic mutual recognition agreement between the two sides on December 26. During the visit, the foreign minister held meetings with senior Somaliland officials, including the president, Foreign Minister Abdirahman Dahir Adam, Minister of the Presidency Khadar Hussein Abdi, Chief of Staff Nimsan Yusuf Osman, Speaker of Parliament Yasin Haji Mohamoud, and Senate Speaker Suleiman Mahmoud Aden. The meetings took place at the official presidential palace in Hargeisa. Sa’ar was welcomed upon arrival by Somaliland’s foreign minister.

Speaking during the visit, Sa’ar said, “On December 26, Israel and Somaliland signed a historic agreement for mutual recognition and the establishment of full diplomatic relations. We agreed on the mutual appointment of ambassadors and the opening of embassies, and we will do so soon. We agreed to work together to advance relations between our countries, for the prosperity of both.”

He added that Israel seeks to build ties not only at the governmental level, but also between the two peoples. “We want to build a warm friendship not only between governments, but also between peoples — the people of Israel and the people of Somaliland. Since December 26, we have seen authentic joy in Somaliland, and also in Israel. We are excited to take part in the brave journey of the people of Somaliland from independence to recognition.”

Sa’ar said Israel’s Foreign Ministry is already working, under his direction, to expand cooperation in multiple fields. “The Foreign Ministry is working to build relations in many areas: economy, water, agriculture, and more. We will carry out cooperation on security issues and develop a strategic partnership between us.”

In unusually blunt remarks, Sa’ar contrasted Somaliland with the Palestinian cause. “Unlike ‘Palestine,’ Somaliland is not a virtual state. Somaliland is a functioning state in every sense, according to the principles of international law. Somaliland has been a stable democracy for nearly 35 years, with democratic elections and orderly transfers of power. It is pro-Western and friendly toward Israel. It is an honor for us to be the first UN member state to recognize Somaliland as an independent and sovereign country.”

Addressing international criticism, he continued, “We hear the attacks, criticism, and condemnations against Israel. No one will decide for Israel whom to recognize or with whom to maintain diplomatic relations. We recognize the simple truth and the existing reality, and we hope to see additional countries do the same soon. Somaliland deserves, justly, a place among the nations. This is a natural relationship between two democratic states, both located in challenging regions.”

Sa’ar concluded by relaying an invitation from Prime Minister Binyomin Netanyahu to the Somaliland president. “In our meeting, I reiterated the prime minister’s invitation for you to make an official visit to Israel. We hope to host you in Yerushalayim very soon. We are full of hope that these historic days and moments will mark the beginning of a deep friendship between our peoples for many years to come.”

President Abdirahman Mohamed Abdillahi confirmed that he plans to visit Israel in the near future and announced that Somaliland will open an embassy there.

In his remarks, the president described Sa’ar’s visit as a landmark event. “Your visit has historic importance and represents a significant milestone in the evolving relationship between Somaliland and the State of Israel. It reflects not only political relations, but also a shared commitment to transform this relationship into a productive, forward-looking, and strategic partnership.”

He emphasized Somaliland’s long-term vision for the relationship. “We are committed to building a strategic relationship with Israel that will be beneficial to both sides and based on cooperation in policy, security, economy, and development. We see this partnership not merely as a political matter, but as a move of historic significance.”

The president added that the visit sends a clear message of resolve. “We want our countries to promote stability, prosperity, and shared interests. Your presence here today demonstrates leadership and confidence in the future of our relations. It sends a strong message that Somaliland and Israel are ready to deepen engagement and act decisively to establish diplomatic infrastructure, including the opening of embassies.”

He concluded by formally accepting Netanyahu’s invitation. “For our part, I wish to assure our full readiness and political will to open an embassy in Israel and to support a permanent and effective Israeli diplomatic presence in Somaliland. I hereby announce that I accept Prime Minister Netanyahu’s invitation to visit Israel.”

{Matzav.com}

Former Israeli prime minister Naftali Bennett on Monday night delivered a televised statement laying out what he described as a comprehensive solution to Israel’s draft crisis, once again focusing his political message squarely on the chareidi sector while declaring his intention to form the next government.

Speaking at a press conference broadcast live, Bennett — who is seeking a return to politics under the banner of a new framework dubbed “Bennett 2026” — said that his first move upon returning to the Prime Minister’s Office would be to repeal what he called the current government’s “draft evasion law.”

Bennett said he intends to replace it with legislation he is calling the “Law of Those Who Serve,” presenting it as the cornerstone of his next coalition. “From today, those who serve will be at the top of the pyramid and those who evade will be at the bottom,” Bennett said, adding that support for the bill would be a prerequisite for joining a government under his leadership. “Support for the Law of Those Who Serve is the first condition for entering a government I head. This is the flagship law of the next government.”

In his remarks, Bennett accused the current leadership of creating a moral and social injustice. “The people of Israel are witnessing a terrible injustice,” he said. “With one hand, the government issues 280,000 reserve duty call-up orders, shattering families and careers, and with the other hand it transfers tens of billions of shekels to healthy young men who choose to evade service in the IDF.”

“There is no greater chillul Hashem than this,” Bennett continued. “They talk about a yellow badge?! We enlist so that we have a strong IDF, in a strong Jewish state, so that no Jew will ever again wear a yellow badge.”

Bennett said his proposed law would fundamentally reverse Israel’s social and economic priorities. “Tonight I announce: the Israeli pyramid is being turned upside down,” he said. “I present to you the law that will shape the State of Israel for decades to come: the Law of Those Who Serve. The answer to this government’s disgraceful draft evasion law is the Law of Those Who Serve. From today — those who serve at the top, and those who choose to evade — at the bottom.”

Detailing the plan, Bennett said his proposal would divert 25 billion shekels currently allocated to what he described as draft evaders and coalition funds and transfer the entire sum to those who serve. He outlined a three-tier system.

At the top, Bennett placed active reserve soldiers. “Every active reservist will receive a grant of one million shekels toward a first home,” he said. He added that reservists would receive free daycare from birth to age three for all children, as well as a permanent 50 percent discount on electricity, water, and municipal taxes as long as they continue reserve service. “These aren’t perks,” Bennett said. “It’s a game-changer that changes your life. You fight for the home — you’ll get a home.”

The second tier, according to Bennett, would include those who completed full mandatory service. He said they would be entitled to “a massive boost at the start of life,” including a free undergraduate degree for all veterans, not only combat soldiers, a free master’s degree for combat troops, five years of free public transportation after discharge, and a monthly subsidy of 1,000 shekels per child for daycare from birth to age three.

“At the third, bottom level,” Bennett said, “those who choose not to serve simply do not receive.” He argued that this structure would “turn the pyramid in Israel.”

Bennett insisted the funding already exists. “This money exists,” he said. “I built the Law of Those Who Serve with people who were in the Budget Division and the Housing Ministry, and they know exactly where these billions are right now. The Law of Those Who Serve moves those billions to the right place — to you.”

He claimed the move would unlock major economic growth. “Our move will free up more than 100 billion shekels in economic output that is currently being burned because of the draft evasion mechanism,” Bennett said. “We are reshaping the state.”

Responding to comparisons between current policies and frameworks proposed during his own previous tenure, Bennett said critics were ignoring the impact of the October 7 massacre. “Anyone who compares the draft evasion law to the framework under a government I led ‘forgets’ one thing: the massacre of October 7,” he said. “But the people of Israel do not forget, and will not forget.”

Bennett concluded by arguing that his plan would transform Israeli society and even draw chareidi youth into military service. “The Law of Those Who Serve will change the structure of the Israeli economy for generations, and will save the economy and the serving public from inevitable collapse,” he said. “And you’ll see how this law brings masses of young chareidim to join us in the IDF. We have one home — we will defend it together.”

President Donald Trump shifted his attention westward on Tuesday, training his fire on California and Gov. Gavin Newsom just a day after Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz announced he would abandon his reelection campaign amid a growing fraud scandal in his state.

Reacting to Walz’s sudden decision to step aside, Trump used Truth Social to argue that Minnesota’s problems are not isolated, contending that corruption is even more deeply rooted in California. In one post, he declared that scrutiny has now expanded beyond the Midwest.

“California, under Governor Gavin Newscum, is more corrupt than Minnesota, if that’s possible??? The Fraud Investigation of California has begun,” Trump wrote.

Walz, a Democrat who served as his party’s vice presidential nominee in 2024, said the political climate surrounding Minnesota’s child care fraud investigation had become untenable. He explained that the constant pressure made it impossible to balance governing the state with mounting a reelection campaign.

The outgoing governor dismissed the controversy as politically motivated, accusing Trump and Republican allies of exploiting the issue to turn Minnesota into what he described as “a colder, meaner place.” Republicans, however, have rejected that characterization, saying the allegations point to serious and systemic failures in oversight and governance.

Trump, in a separate Truth Social message responding to Walz’s withdrawal, escalated his accusations, charging that the Minnesota governor was “caught, redhanded” in what he described as a massive scheme involving “tens of billions of taxpayer dollars.” He added that Walz’s situation was emblematic of a broader pattern among Democratic leaders.

Trump extended that argument to California, asserting that Newsom and other Democratic governors have done “an even more dishonest and incompetent job,” while stressing, “No one is above the law!”

The president’s focus on California echoes long-standing conservative criticism that the state operates under lax oversight, spiraling costs, and entrenched bureaucratic waste, even as Sacramento seeks additional funding from taxpayers. Those claims were reinforced by a recent report from California’s nonpartisan state auditor, which placed Newsom’s administration and several major agencies under elevated “high-risk” scrutiny.

According to the auditor, chronic deficiencies span a wide range of systems, including public benefit programs, unemployment insurance, financial reporting, cybersecurity protections, and water infrastructure. The report warned that continued failures could saddle the state with billions of dollars in additional costs and pose serious public safety threats.

Among the most notable findings were a nearly 11% payment error rate in California’s CalFresh program, which the auditor said could expose the state to as much as $2.5 billion in losses by 2028 if left uncorrected. The review also identified roughly $1.5 billion in improper unemployment payments during 2023 and 2024, well after pandemic-era fraud had already shaken confidence in the system.

The assessment further cited weak financial controls that undermine transparency, cybersecurity vulnerabilities across multiple agencies, and concerns about dam infrastructure that could endanger lives and property if failures occur. Whistleblower probes detailed wasteful practices as well, including millions of dollars spent on state-issued mobile devices that were never used.

Trump has repeatedly argued that prolonged one-party Democratic control leads to expansive government with minimal accountability. Speaking recently aboard Air Force One, he pledged to tighten oversight, reestablish law-and-order standards within federal agencies, and protect taxpayers from what he described as being treated like an “endless ATM” for states that mismanage public funds.

{Matzav.com}

Dear Matzav Inbox,

I would like to share an observation regarding shidduchim that I believe many in the community have noticed. This is not meant for everyone, and certainly not for those who put real thought into the shidduchim they suggest.

At the same time, there are cases where shidduchim are suggested without enough thought, or without really knowing the boy or the girl. Often, the person suggesting the idea does not actually know either side at all. For example, they may know the boy’s mother and the girl’s grandmother, and based on that limited connection, the shidduch is suggested. While well-intentioned, this often does not lead anywhere.

Many of us see that some ideas are clearly way out of the ballpark. I have also heard people say they took on a kabbalah to suggest one shidduch a day. While the desire to help is admirable, shidduchim are not daf yomi, and not everything works with a daily quota.

Beyond that, when too many unrealistic ideas are suggested, it can take away from the value of more serious shidduchim. It also takes up time and energy that could be better spent checking into good, solid ideas that actually have potential.

Before presenting a shidduch to an already overwhelmed parent, perhaps it would help to make two or three phone calls to people who actually know both the boy and the girl. A little checking can save a lot of unnecessary information, phone calls, and follow-ups.

This is not meant to discourage good shidduchim. If someone truly has a solid, well-thought-out idea, they should not hesitate to suggest it. Even if a person is not completely sure, but has done some basic checking and others who know the situation also feel it is a reasonable idea, it is certainly appropriate to suggest the shidduch. The point is simply not to suggest shidduchim as a way of checking off an item on a to-do list.

Shidduchim involve real people and real lives. A bit more seichel and a bit less pressure to “have an idea” can only help everyone involved.

Thank you for providing a platform for this discussion.

Sincerely,
A concerned member of the community

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{Matzav.com}

Israel’s United Torah Judaism has taken a dramatic step in support of Israeli Prime Minister Bibi Netanyahu, announcing that it is removing all previous limitations and reservations it had placed on judicial and legal legislation.

The decision came shortly after a forceful speech by Netanyahu in the Knesset in which he reiterated his determination to advance the draft law. Following the address, UTJ faction chairman Uri Maklev formally informed Coalition Chairman Ofir Katz that, effective immediately and until further notice, the party will support all coalition-backed legal and judicial bills.

Maklev conveyed that the move stems from deep and growing frustration within the chareidi parties over what they view as persistent legal targeting of the Torah world and the chareidi public. According to party officials, recent developments — ranging from the handling of the draft law to delays in funding for daycare centers and yeshivos — have convinced UTJ that the legal establishment and the courts have marked the chareidi community as a central target.

Under the new directive, United Torah Judaism will provide blanket and unconditional backing to every coalition-sponsored judicial bill, legislative initiative, or procedural motion dealing with legal matters. The party stressed that all prior constraints it had imposed in this area have been fully lifted.

Coalition sources say the decision effectively gives the government a green light to revive and advance controversial legal legislation that had been frozen for months, potentially setting the stage for a significant wave of lawmaking during the current Knesset session.

The immediate political impact is a substantial strengthening of the right-wing bloc within the government and a renewed consolidation of the chareidi parties within the coalition framework.

Senior coalition officials welcomed Maklev’s announcement, signaling that any further attempts by the legal system — including High Court of Justice involvement — to intervene in chareidi religious life will now be met with swift and coordinated legislative responses.

“This is a genuine strategic shift in the relationship between the chareidi parties and the legal system,” coalition insiders said. “It is a move that is expected to influence the government’s stability and shape the political battles of the coming weeks.”

{Matzav.com}

Israeli Prime Minister Bibi Netanyahu delivered an impassioned speech Monday night in the Knesset, forcefully defending the centrality of the Torah world to Jewish survival while trading sharp barbs with opposition leader Yair Lapid during a heated 40-signature debate.

Speaking after Lapid renewed his attacks, Netanyahu chose to respond directly, combining pointed political criticism with an emotional defense of Torah study. Addressing the draft law, Netanyahu accused the opposition of taking what he called a “narrow, extreme, and divisive” stance, while his government, he said, is pursuing broad national consensus.

“We are advancing a historic framework that will lead to the enlistment of 23,000 chareidim over the next three and a half years,” Netanyahu said. “This is a real revolution, with an enormous number of recruits. The law we formulated includes personal and institutional sanctions, but I believe they won’t be needed, because the chareidi public will meet the enlistment targets we set.”

The prime minister went on to contrast the government’s proposal with what he described as Lapid’s previous legislation. “We quadrupled the number of recruits. Which law is better, your draft-evasion law or our enlistment law? Our law serves the state; your law serves you politically. You’re not interested in chareidi enlistment. You want to throw obstacles in the way of the historic law we are bringing. Your fear is that we will succeed — that the draft law will pass and tens of thousands of chareidim will enlist in the IDF.”

Lapid responded by citing the pain of bereaved families, describing testimony given in the Knesset’s Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee by the widow of fallen IDF officer Emanuel Moreno. “Bereaved families are falling apart when they see attempts to give chareidim exemption from sacrifice,” Lapid said, accusing the government of moral failure. He further claimed that a senior chareidi minister compared calls for chareidi enlistment to forcing Jews to wear a yellow badge.

After Lapid’s remarks, Netanyahu returned to the podium for a second speech, rejecting the opposition’s claims and reaffirming his support for both national security and Torah learning. “We are now passing a real draft law, as opposed to your evasion law,” he said. “I stand behind everything I said about what is in our law and what was not in yours. I understand that there are people who are unhappy about this. You certainly are, because you want it to fail.”

Netanyahu strongly condemned the comparison to the yellow badge. “I denounce with complete force the talk about the yellow patch,” he said. “Enlisting in the Israel Defense Forces is not a yellow patch. It is good that hundreds of young chareidim came yesterday. But at the same time, we will preserve the Torah world, because without the Torah world we would not have survived here and we would not have reached where we are today.”

In one of the most emotional moments of the debate, Netanyahu linked Jewish continuity throughout history to Torah study. “We would not have endured, we would not have reached this time, and we would have no future without it,” he said. “If you follow Jewish history — exile after exile, slaughter, plunder, horrific acts — throughout all of that, Torah learning and the preservation of Jewish heritage remained. Without it, we would not be here. I respect this. I do not scorn it, and I am not trying to eliminate it. I want coexistence: there will be Torah scholars, and there will also be those who enlist. Thank God this is beginning to happen, and soon it will happen on a much larger scale. If you care about the future of the state, this is something you should encourage.”

Netanyahu concluded with a sharp personal jab at Lapid, tying the opposition leader’s political standing to his priorities. “You know why you’re polling at four seats today,” Netanyahu said. “A year and a half ago you told me there wouldn’t be a fountain named after me, there wouldn’t be a square named after me. Do you really think that’s what interests me? I’m here to ensure the existence of the Jewish people. That’s what interests me, not you. And that’s why the polls give you four mandates.”

{Matzav.com}

Israeli opposition leader Yair Lapid sharply escalated his rhetoric on Monday against the chareidi public and its rabbinic leadership, accusing them of delegitimizing the Israel Defense Forces and demanding what he described as unequal treatment in the wake of the October 7 attacks.

Speaking at the opening of a faction meeting of his Yesh Atid party, Lapid addressed the ongoing controversy surrounding remarks made by Yitzchok Goldknopf, chairman of United Torah Judaism, as well as statements by chareidi rabbinic figures opposing military conscription. Lapid claimed that chareidi leaders are “not asking for an exemption from army service, but for an exemption from bereavement.”

Lapid said Goldknopf appeared before the Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee a day earlier and compared sanctions on draft evaders and deserters to the yellow badge imposed on Jews during the Holocaust. “My father wore a yellow badge,” Lapid said. “A 13-year-old Jewish boy sitting in the Budapest ghetto while the Nazis wanted to kill him. My grandfather was murdered in the cold and snow in a concentration camp. My grandfather never harmed a single person in his life. He was a small, overweight man, not important at all. They put a yellow badge on him and murdered him because he was a Jew.”

He went on to cite a gathering of roshei yeshiva that took place the same day, where Rav Menachem Tzvi Berlin reportedly said that the Israel Defense Forces and those who support enlistment were “no better than Hitler.” Lapid said no senior rabbinic figures present objected to the comparison. “Hitler murdered a million and a half Jewish children,” Lapid said. “And he stood there and compared him to the IDF, and no one stood up and said, ‘Sir, Jews do not speak this way.’”

Lapid delivered some of his harshest words directly at the chareidi leadership. “How dare you?” he said. “How dare you compare the Israel Defense Forces to the Nazis? If there were no IDF, we would all have been dead long ago like my grandfather. What kind of Judaism is this? What happened to ‘Its ways are ways of pleasantness’? Since when do Jews speak to one another like this?”

Addressing the broader national burden of military service, Lapid said, “At some point you’ll have to understand: we’re not trying to fight with you, we’re trying to live with you. But it’s impossible to continue when our children are dying and yours are not.” He added, “You’re not asking for an exemption from enlistment. You’re asking for an exemption from bereavement. You’re asking for an exemption from the knock on the door at four in the morning. We can’t give you that anymore. Not after October 7.”

Lapid also focused on the economic dimension of the dispute, claiming that draft evasion imposes a massive financial burden on the public. “We also can’t continue with a situation where we fund draft evasion to the tune of 60 billion shekels every year,” he said. “Every working family transfers 1,700 shekels a month to draft evaders.”

Concluding his remarks, Lapid said his party was offering an alternative vision. “What we’re proposing instead is shared lives and a shared Israeli story,” he said. “We have no problem with you being chareidi. That is your full right. But it does not exempt you from the obligations that apply to every Israeli citizen — to serve, to study, and to work. It does not exempt you from sharing the fate of this people. And stop talking about the Holocaust. It does you no honor, it does not honor the Torah, it cheapens the Holocaust, and it gives ammunition to antisemites against the Jewish people.”

{Matzav.com}

Israeli officials are increasingly wary that Tehran could misread Israel’s intentions and act first, even if Israel has no plans to strike. In recent days, Israel’s political and security leadership has convened a series of consultations focused on regional threats, with particular attention to Iran, Kan 11 News reported.

As part of efforts to lower the temperature, Israeli Prime Minister Bibi Netanyahu has turned to Russian President Vladimir Putin to pass messages to Iran stressing that Israel is not seeking an attack, according to the report, which cited diplomatic sources. The messages were said to have reached Tehran recently, including through direct phone conversations between Netanyahu and Putin, amid heightened tensions between the two countries.

Speaking Monday during a session of the Knesset, Netanyahu said Israel had already made its position clear to Tehran, warning that any aggression would be met forcefully. “If we are attacked, the consequences will be severe,” he said.

During the same session, Netanyahu also addressed Iran’s strategic capabilities, declaring, “[US President Donald] Trump and I will not allow Iran to restore its ballistic missile industry and nuclear program.”

He went on to add, “We identify with the struggle of the Iranian people. We may be standing at a crucial moment. If we are attacked, the consequences for Iran will be very serious.”

Meanwhile, Iranian state television reported Sunday that the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps had begun a wide-ranging military drill that included missile launches and air defense system tests. The exercise was said to be taking place in multiple locations across the country, including Tehran and Shiraz.

Concerns about the drills were echoed earlier this month in Western and Israeli reporting. Two weeks ago, Axios correspondent Barak Ravid reported that Israeli officials had cautioned the Trump administration that an IRGC missile exercise could be a precursor to an attack on Israel.

One day before that, Iran International cited Western intelligence sources who said they had detected “unusual aerial activity” by the IRGC’s Aerospace Force, adding to regional unease over Iran’s military posture.

{Matzav.com}

Democratic Sen. John Fetterman of Pennsylvania said that he sees the U.S. mission that led to the capture of Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro as a success, openly criticizing fellow Democrats for attacking President Donald Trump over the operation.

Appearing on Fox News’ Fox & Friends, Fetterman expressed frustration that Democrats who long demanded Maduro’s removal are now condemning the Trump administration after the goal was achieved.

“I don’t know why we can’t just acknowledge it’s been a good thing what’s happened. I’ve seen the speeches from, whether it’s Leader Schumer or kinds of past tweets from President Biden,” he said, referencing recent remarks by Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer and earlier statements from Joe Biden when he was out of office.

“We all wanted this man gone, and now he is gone. I think we should really appreciate exactly what happened here,” Fetterman added.

Schumer, however, warned over the weekend that “launching military action without congressional authorization and without a credible plan for what comes next is reckless.”

The criticism echoed earlier attacks from Biden, who in 2020 accused Trump of posturing on Venezuela while praising strongmen abroad. In a social media post that year, Biden charged that Trump talked “tough” on the country but admired “thugs and dictators like Nicolas Maduro.”

Those past remarks, Fetterman said, only highlight the inconsistency in the current Democratic response. He questioned why the party refuses to acknowledge what he views as a clear achievement.

“I salute our military, what they’ve done,” he said on Fox News. “That was really surgical and precise and very efficient — so why we can’t celebrate these kinds of things?

Fetterman also said Maduro’s removal could mark a turning point for Venezuela itself.

“And now I’m open to the good opportunities, a better future for Venezuela after this happened,” he said.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio reinforced that argument during a Sunday appearance on NBC’s Meet the Press, noting that the U.S. government itself had previously placed a multimillion-dollar bounty on Maduro’s capture.

“In the Biden administration, they had a $25 million reward for [Maduro’s] capture,” Rubio told NBC host Kristen Welker.

“So, we have a reward for his capture, but we’re not going to enforce it?” he asked.

Rubio also responded to complaints that Congress was not notified ahead of the mission. He said secrecy was essential because the operation depended on specific conditions and any leak could have put it at risk.

“We called members of Congress immediately after. This was not the kind of mission that you can do congressional notification on,” Rubio told reporters during a press conference in Palm Beach, Florida.

“It was a trigger-based mission in which conditions had to be met. Night after night, we watched and monitored that for a number of days. So it’s just simply not the kind of mission you can call people and say, ‘Hey, we may do this at some point in the next 15 days,’” he said.

WATCH:

{Matzav.com}

Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky is accusing fellow Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina of nudging President Donald Trump into a foreign policy move that Paul says contradicts the president’s long-held views, following the U.S. operation that resulted in the capture of Venezuela’s Nicolás Maduro.

Speaking with reporters on Monday, Paul said Graham was a driving force behind the decision to deploy U.S. special operations forces to Caracas, arguing that Graham successfully pushed the president toward an action Trump had historically resisted.

According to Paul, the mission clashes with Trump’s repeated opposition to regime-change efforts and overseas nation-building, positions the president has emphasized throughout his political career.

“This is Lindsey Graham,” Paul said. “Lindsey Graham has gotten to the president.”

Paul said Trump has consistently warned that removing foreign governments rarely ends well, pointing to numerous public statements in which the president criticized such interventions.

“I saw a clip — there’s like 20 clips — of [Trump] saying he’s not for regime change, and how regime change has always gone wrong,” Paul said.

“Somehow, they’ve convinced him it’s different if it’s in our hemisphere.”

Paul warned that the episode reflects the rising sway of more interventionist Republicans within the party, singling out Graham as a leading voice shaping Trump’s approach to Venezuela and foreign policy more broadly.

Graham, meanwhile, has been open for years about his desire to see Maduro ousted from power. His frustration surfaced publicly last month after War Secretary Pete Hegseth and Secretary of State Marco Rubio told lawmakers during a classified briefing that removing Maduro was not being actively pursued at that time.

“I want to know what’s going to happen next,” Graham said after that briefing.

“Is it the policy to take Maduro down? It should be, if it’s not.

“If he goes, what’s going to happen next?” Graham asked. “I’d like a better answer as to what happens when Maduro goes.”

After Maduro was taken into custody over the weekend, Graham applauded the outcome and framed it as a potential turning point for leftist governments across the region.

“As I have often said, it is in America’s national security interest to deal with the drug caliphate in our backyard, the centerpiece of which is Venezuela. With Maduro’s capture, the drug caliphate is moving toward collapse,” Graham wrote in a post on X.

“Free Cuba,” Graham added.

{Matzav.com}

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President Trump said Monday that American energy companies could be active in Venezuela far sooner than many expect, predicting that operations could begin within a year and a half — and possibly even earlier.

“I think we can do it in less time than that, but it’ll be a lot of money,” Trump said in an interview with NBC News.

According to the president, the financial burden would initially fall on the private sector. “A tremendous amount of money will have to be spent, and the oil companies will spend it, and then they’ll get reimbursed by us or through revenue,” he said.

Trump’s comments came in the wake of a U.S. military operation that resulted in the capture of Venezuelan dictator Nicolás Maduro. Following that development, the president said the United States would maintain a role in the country “as it pertains to oil.”

He explained that before any large-scale drilling can resume, American firms would first need to overhaul Venezuela’s deteriorated oil infrastructure, which has suffered years of neglect and mismanagement.

At present, Chevron is the only major U.S. oil company still operating in Venezuela.

Other major players exited long ago. ConocoPhillips and Exxon Mobil pulled out nearly two decades ago after then-president Hugo Chávez nationalized foreign-owned energy assets.

Trump said the scale of investment required would be massive. “It’ll be a very substantial amount of money,” he said. “But they’ll do very well.”

“And the country will do well,” the president added.

He also argued that restoring Venezuela as a major oil producer would have broader economic benefits for the United States. “Having a Venezuela that’s an oil producer is good for the United States because it keeps the price of oil down,” Trump said, adding that expanded drilling would “reduce oil prices.”

Trump said that while his administration did not notify U.S. oil companies in advance of the military operation, discussions had been taking place in more general terms. Officials had been “talking to the concept of, ‘what if we did it?’” he said.

“The oil companies were absolutely aware that we were thinking about doing something,” Trump said. “But we didn’t tell them we were going to do it.”

Looking ahead, Energy Secretary Chris Wright is expected to meet later this week with executives from Exxon and ConocoPhillips to discuss Venezuelan oil, according to Bloomberg News.

NBC News, citing a White House official, reported that Wright has been assigned to lead the administration’s efforts to restore and rebuild Venezuela’s oil infrastructure.

{Matzav.com}

All are asked to be mispallel for Rav Dovid Magid, formerly rosh yeshiva of Yeshiva of Bayonne, NJ, who is in need of rachamei Shomayim after suffering a medical episode on Motzoei Shabbos.

Rav Magid was transported for medical care following the incident, and family members have since asked that his condition be kept in mind during tefillah.

The rosh yeshiva‘s name for Tehillim is Elchonon Dovid Aryeh Leib ben Itta Faiga.

{Matzav.com}

NYC Mayor Zohran Mamdani moved Monday to tamp down speculation at City Hall after an executive order he signed prompted talk that New York City’s police commissioner had been sidelined.

The rumors began circulating after Mamdani’s first-day order granted his first deputy mayor, Dean Fuleihan, oversight authority over the New York City Police Department. Some observers read the move as a demotion of Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch, leading to widespread chatter that her standing in the administration had been reduced.

Mamdani addressed the issue publicly, insisting that the reporting structure at the top of the department remains unchanged.

“My police commissioner will continue to report directly to me,” he said while speaking to reporters at an unrelated event.

The order signed on New Year’s Day placed the New York City Police Department within the first deputy mayor’s portfolio for day-to-day administrative matters, a framework that had been common under earlier city leaders.

That structure was altered under Mayor Eric Adams, who instead created a first deputy mayor for public safety role and had the police commissioner report through that office — a position that had not existed since the 1990s.

Phil Banks, who served in that public safety role under Adams, later came under scrutiny for allegedly interfering in police operations and ultimately stepped down amid a wide-ranging federal corruption investigation.

Although Mamdani’s order largely reverted the NYPD to a previous bureaucratic arrangement, it was interpreted by some as a dramatic shakeup that could weaken the department’s independence. Additional speculation spread that Mamdani had stopped receiving daily intelligence briefings from the police commissioner.

Those concerns led the National Jewish Advocacy Center to send a sharply worded letter to the mayor, particularly in light of its earlier objections to Mamdani rescinding executive orders related to antisemitism.

Tisch has been viewed by many inside and outside City Hall as a stabilizing influence within Mamdani’s democratic socialist administration. Both she and the mayor have acknowledged disagreements on certain policy issues, including matters connected to Israel.

Pressed again about the order, Mamdani emphasized the distinction between administrative supervision and ultimate accountability.

“My police commissioner, just like my schools chancellor, will report directly to me,” he said.

“The executive order is in terms of the question of coordination. This is about the daily minutiae of coordination.”

{Matzav.com}

Federal officials moved Monday to halt more than $10 billion in social services and child care funding to several Democrat-led states, citing concerns that taxpayer dollars were improperly diverted to non-citizens, according to administration sources, the NY Post reports.

The funding freeze affects California, Colorado, Illinois, Minnesota, and New York, with the Department of Health and Human Services set to pause distributions from three major federal programs: the Child Care Development Fund, Temporary Assistance for Needy Families, and the Social Services Block Grant.

The largest portion of the freeze involves TANF, with approximately $7.35 billion slated to be withheld from the five states. An additional $2.4 billion in CCDF funding will also be blocked, along with roughly $869 million from the Social Services Block Grant program.

Administration officials said the decision would be formally communicated through letters sent Monday to each state, outlining concerns that benefits were fraudulently provided to non–U.S. citizens.

The action follows earlier scrutiny of state-administered programs. More than six years ago, the HHS Office of Inspector General determined that New York City improperly charged the federal government over $24.7 million for child care subsidies.

Minnesota has been a particular focus of federal investigations. In December, HHS sent letters to Gov. Tim Walz and Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey questioning whether billions in taxpayer funding had unlawfully helped “fuel illegal and mass migration,” a development first reported by The Post. Those inquiries were followed by investigations launched by the Treasury Department and the House Oversight Committee into a growing fraud scandal involving nonprofits tied to the Somali community in the Twin Cities.

According to the Pew Research Center, Minnesota was home to about 130,000 illegal migrants as of 2023, up roughly 40,000 from 2019 and accounting for about 2% of the state’s population. The state’s Somali diaspora exceeds 100,000 people, most concentrated in the Minneapolis–St. Paul area.

Federal prosecutors have already obtained dozens of convictions connected to a $250 million fraud scheme involving Feeding Our Future, a Somali-linked organization accused of using stolen funds to buy luxury vehicles and real estate. First Assistant Minnesota U.S. Attorney Joe Thompson has alleged the scope of the fraud is far larger, claiming as much as $9 billion may have been skimmed.

“What we see in Minnesota is not a handful of bad actors committing crimes. It’s staggering, industrial-scale fraud,” Thompson told reporters in a Dec. 18 news conference.

Public attention intensified after YouTuber Nick Shirley visited about 10 child care centers that collectively received $111 million in taxpayer funds. Subsequent reporting by the Minnesota Star Tribune found that fewer than half of those facilities appeared to be operating.

Gov. Walz addressed the issue Monday during a press conference in which he also announced he was ending his bid for a third term.

“We cannot effectively deliver programs and services if we can’t earn the public’s trust,” the Minnesota Democrat said, before criticizing President Trump and his “allies in Washington.”

“We’ll win the fight against the fraudsters, but the political gamesmanship we’re seeing from Republicans is only making that fight harder,” he added.

President Trump responded with a Truth Social post later Monday, accusing Walz and others of massive corruption.

“Minnesota’s Corrupt Governor will possibly leave office before his Term is up but, in any event, will not be running again because he was caught, REDHANDED, along with Ilhan Omar, and others of his Somali friends, stealing Tens of Billions of Taxpayer Dollars,” Trump wrote.

“I feel certain the facts will come out, and they will reveal a seriously unscrupulous, and rich, group of ‘SLIMEBALLS,’” the president added.

“Governor Walz has destroyed the State of Minnesota, but others, like Governor Gavin Newscum, JB Pritzker, and Kathy Hochul, have done, in my opinion, an even more dishonest and incompetent job. NO ONE IS ABOVE THE LAW!”

Democratic lawmakers sharply criticized the funding freeze. Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand of New York denounced the move as politically motivated.

“To use the power of the government to harm the neediest Americans is immoral and indefensible,” Gillibrand said in a statement. “This has nothing to do with fraud and everything to do with political retribution that punishes poor children in need of assistance. I demand that President Trump unfreeze this funding and stop this brazen attack on our children.”

Officials in several affected states said they had not yet received formal notification. A spokesperson for Colorado Gov. Jared Polis said “the state has not been officially notified of any changes to these funding sources,” adding that if accurate, “it would be awful to see the federal government targeting the most needy families and children this way.”

A representative for California Gov. Gavin Newsom’s administration likewise said the state had not been given guidance on funding changes, but emphasized that California is “committed to safeguarding the integrity of all child care subsidy payments and takes any potential misuse of funds seriously.”

{Matzav.com}