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A Hamas supporter was seen wearing a mock suicide vest at an anti-Israel protest in Manhattan. The vest is reminiscent of the suicide vests worn by terrorists to murder and maim Israelis during the Second Intifada in the early 2000s. And of course, the 9/11 attacks on the Twin Towers in New York City were also carried out by suicide attackers. The video shows the would-be suicide bomber with other pro-Hamas supporters arguing with counter-protesters. (YWN Israel Desk – Jerusalem)

A Southern California mayor said he wants to give his city’s homeless population “all the fentanyl they want” and later called for a federal “purge.” In a city council meeting, Lancaster Mayor R. Rex Parris responded to a resident’s concern about the city’s handling of its homeless population by saying: “What I want to do is give them free fentanyl… I mean, that’s what I want to do. I want to give them all the fentanyl they want.”

He doubled down on those comments in an interview with FOX LA on Friday where he said he was referring specifically to unhoused “criminals” who “refuse” to get help and that it’s “so easy” to get fentanyl on the streets that it wouldn’t make a difference if the city gave it away for free.

“Quite frankly, I wish that the president would give us a purge. Because we do need to purge these people,” Parris continued. “Now, is it harsh? Of course it’s harsh. But it’s my obligation as the mayor of the city of Lancaster to protect the hardworking families that live there, and I am no longer able to do it.” Read more.

{Matzav.com}

The Israeli Air Force conducted training today to prepare for potential Iranian ballistic missile attacks on Israeli military bases if U.S.-Iran negotiations fail.

TRAFFIC ALERT: A tractor-trailer carrying an oversized load went up in flames on Route 17 westbound just before Exit 127. Emergency personnel, including firefighters, are on the scene. All occupants were able to evacuate safely. (Heavy traffic is reported in the area.(Via Catskills Scoop)  

BREAKING: Sources tell Boro Park Scoop that FDNY marshals are looking into the possibility that a Con Edison manhole underneath the Boro Park Hatzolah vehicle, is the cause of the fire this morning which destroyed the emergency response vehicle which was parked on 16th Avenue and 52nd Street.

Instagram is beginning to test the use of artificial intelligence to determine if kids are lying about their ages on the app, parent company Meta Platforms said on Monday. Meta has been using AI to determine people’s ages for some time, the company said, but photo and video-sharing app will now “proactively” look for teen accounts it suspects belong to teenagers even if they entered an inaccurate birthdate when they signed up. If it is determined that a user is misrepresenting their age, the account will automatically become a teen account, which has more restrictions than an adult account. Teen accounts are private by default. Private messages are restricted so teens can only receive them from people they follow or are already connected to. “Sensitive content,” such as videos of people fighting or those promoting cosmetic procedures, will be limited, Meta said. Teens will also get notifications if they are on Instagram for more than 60 minutes and a “sleep mode” will be enabled that turns off notifications and sends auto-replies to direct messages from 10 p.m. until 7 a.m. Meta says it trains its AI to look for signals, such as the type of content the account interacts, profile information and when the account was created, to determine the owner’s age. The heightened measures arrive as social media companies face increased scrutiny over how their platform affects the mental health and well-being of younger users. A growing number of states are also trying to pass age verification laws, although they have faced court challenges. Meta and other social media companies support putting the onus on app stores to verify ages amid criticism that they don’t do enough to make their products safe for children — or verify that no kids under 13 use them. Instagram will also send notifications to parents “with information about how they can have conversations with their teens on the importance of providing the correct age online,” the company said. (AP)

It is with great sadness that Matzav.com reports the petirah of the Faltishaner Rebbe Rav Mordechai Stein zt”l of Boro Park, who was niftar on Shveii Shel Pesach at the age of 84. His levayah was held on Acharon Shel Pesach.

The Rebbe was born on 13 Adar in 1941 in Faltishan, Romania, to his father, the Faltishaner Rebbe, Rav Yisroel Avrohom zt”l, and his mother, Rebbetzin Sarah a”h, daughter of the Faltishaner Rebbe, Rav Elazar Twersky zt”l. At his bris, he was named Mordechai after his ancestor, the Rebbe Rav Mordechai of Chernobyl zt”l.

He lateultimatelyr immigrated to the United States with his family. He began studying in the Nitra Yeshiva under the leadership of Rav Michoel Ber Weissmandl zt”l in the Catskills. When the Imrei Chaim of Vizhnitz zt”l visited America, the young Rav Mordechai returned with him to Eretz Yisroel and continued his learning at Yeshivas Vizhnitz in Bnei Brak.

He married his wife, Rebbetzin Rivkah Leah a”h, daughter of the Spinka Rebbe of Yerushalayim, Rav Yosef Meir Kahana zt”l. After his marriage, he lived in Kiryas Vizhnitz and received semichah from Rav Pinchas Epstein zt”l, Raavad of the Eidah Hachareidis.

He moved to Yerushalayim, where he became closely connected to the Dzikover Rebbe, Rav Yehuda Leibush Horowitz zt”l, and drew inspiration from the Toras Mordechai of Vizhnitz zt”l.

During the tense prelude to the Six Day War in 5727, he returned to America at his father’s request. Though he intended to go back to Eretz Yisroel after the war, he ultimately settled permanently in the United States. He served as a mashgiach and mashpia in the Satmar Yeshiva on Sanz Street and later at the Yeshiva Gedolah in Kiryas Yoel.

The Rebbe was a devoted follower of the Satmar Rebbe, Rav Yoel zt”l.

He later moved to Boro Park, where he established his beis medrash, Kehillas Tiferes Mordechai, on 49th Street. He also founded a beis din and served as its av beis din. At the same time, he was Rosh Yeshiva of the Monsey-based Yeshivas Munkatch and had a close relationship with the Munkatcher Rebbe.

After the passing of his father, he assumed the position of the Faltishaner Rebbe. From his beis medrash in Boro Park, he led his kehilla with warmth, dignity, and profound yiras Shamayim, and many flocked to him for guidance and brachos.

He is survived by sons, daughters, sons-in-law, and grandchildren who are talmidei chachamim and yirei Shamayim, continuing his legacy.

In recent months, the Rebbe’s health deteriorated after a collapse. On the seventh day of Pesach, he was niftar. His levayah took place on the the next day, beginning at his beis medrash in Boro Park, continuing through the Munkatcher beis medrash, and from there to Williamsburg. He was laid to rest in Long Island.

Yehi zichro boruch.

{Matzav.com}

On Monday, Minister of Foreign Affairs Gideon Sa’ar welcomed US Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee for their first official working session at the Foreign Ministry headquarters in Yerushalayim. The meeting came shortly after Huckabee formally submitted his diplomatic credentials to President Herzog.

The two began with a private conversation before being joined by their respective delegations for a broader discussion.

Minister Sa’ar extended warm congratulations to Ambassador Huckabee on taking up his new position and expressed appreciation for his steadfast support of Israel throughout the years. He remarked that Huckabee’s deep-rooted friendship and dedication to the US-Israel alliance made him an ideal choice for the role. “Israel could not have hoped for a better ambassador,” Sa’ar said.

A primary topic of the talks was the strategic threat posed by Iran’s nuclear ambitions, which both sides agreed remains a central concern.

In addition, the two explored opportunities to further deepen and strengthen the partnership between Israel and the United States.

{Matzav.com Israel}

An AI-generated video envisioning the rebuilding of the Beis HaMikdash on Har HaBayis has prompted outrage from Qatar, which accused Israel of planning to destroy the Al-Aqsa mosque, despite the video being entirely conceptual and produced by a fringe activist group. The video, released by a group calling itself the “Temple Mount Activists,” depicts the Dome of the Rock engulfed in flames, followed by the sudden appearance of the Third Beis HaMikdash. After the rebuilt Bais Mikdash appears, the words “Next year in Yerushalayim, Moshiach now” are displayed, while “Shema Yisrael” is heard in the background. Though the video is clearly symbolic and not associated with any official Israeli body, Qatar’s Foreign Ministry issued a harsh statement condemning what it called “plans by groups affiliated with Israeli occupation organizations to destroy the blessed Al-Aqsa Mosque and replace it with the so-called Temple.” Calling the video a “dangerous provocation,” the Qatari statement warned of an escalation in regional violence, especially as the war in Gaza continues. It also accused Israel of attempting to alter the “historical and legal status” of Har HaBayis and called on the international community to “hold the occupying power accountable.” Qatar, which has long aligned itself with the Palestinians, used the opportunity to reiterate its support for a two-state solution and its ongoing rejection of Israel’s control over Yerushalayim. The Gulf nation has been widely criticized for its support of terrorist organizations, including Hamas and the Muslim Brotherhood, as well as for operating the Al Jazeera network, which has faced bans from both Israel and the Palestinian Authority. Notably, just last week Qatar’s Deputy Prime Minister and Defense Minister, Sa’oud bin Abd Al-Rahman Al Thani, posted — and then quickly deleted — a tweet saying, “We Are all Hamas,” drawing sharp criticism from around the world. He also deleted an inflammatory 2014 tweet calling on Muslims in Yerushalayim to “rise up” during Operation Protective Edge. (YWN World Headquarters – NYC)

Sam Rutledge and his wife have a baby due in mid-July, so they thought they had a few more months to research and buy the gear they’ll need. But President Donald Trump’s tariff announcement in early April turned the couple’s slow walk into a sprint. In the past few weeks, they’ve bought two strollers, a car seat, a nursery glider, a crib and a high chair. All of them are made overseas. “These are all pretty expensive under normal conditions, but when it became clear tariffs were coming we decided to buy them in case they became prohibitively expensive,” said Rutledge, who is a high school physics teacher. Raising a child in America has never been cheap. In the first year alone, it costs an average of $20,384, according to Baby Center, a parenting website. But tariffs – ranging from 10% for imports from most countries to 145% for imports from China — will make it many times more expensive for new parents. An estimated 90% of the core baby care products and the parts that go into making baby paraphernalia – from bottles and diaper pails to strollers and car seats – are made in Asia, according to the Juvenile Products Manufacturers Association, a U.S. trade group. The vast majority come from China. “Overseas manufacturing has been the norm in our industry for decades,” said Lisa Trofe, the association’s executive director. It wasn’t always this way. When Munchkin Inc. CEO Steven Dunn founded his company in 1991, it made baby bottles in California with tooling from New Jersey. But over the years, the manufacturers he used shut down and the cost of doing business in the U.S. skyrocketed. Now, about 60% of Munchkin’s 500 products, from a $5 sippy cup to a $254 Night Owl Stroller with headlights, are made in China. In response to the tariffs, Dunn halted orders from China and instituted a hiring freeze at Munchkin’s California headquarters, where 320 people are employed. Dunn expects Munchkin will run out of some products within three months. “There is no possibility of being able to pass on those tariffs” to customers in the form of price increases, he said. Dunn said he tried to reduce his dependence on China in recent years, shifting some manufacturing to Vietnam and Mexico. He also spent a year communicating with American manufacturers to see if one could make Munchkin’s new Flow Nipple Shield, which allows a breastfeeding mother to see if her milk is flowing. But most said they couldn’t make the complex silicone product, Dunn said. It’s now made in Vietnam. “There’s not enough tool makers and manufacturing expertise and automation and skilled labor in the U.S. to make the thousands of products the juvenile industry needs,” Dunn said. Multiple baby brands and companies contacted by The Associated Press didn’t respond or said they weren’t commenting on the tariffs, including Graco, Chicco, Britax, Nuna, Dorel Juvenile, UppaBaby, Evenflo and Bugaboo. The Juvenile Products Manufacturers Association said it asked the Trump administration for a tariff exemption, arguing that baby products are essential for children’s well-being. Trump exempted some baby products, including car seats and high chairs, from import taxes during his first administration. But he hasn’t said whether he would consider doing so again. The Associated Press left a message seeking comment […]

The Israeli Prime Minister’s Office delivered a scathing response to the affidavit submitted by Shin Bet Director Ronen Bar to the Supreme Court, accusing him of dishonesty and attributing blame for the events of October 7, 2023.

In its statement, the PMO asserted that Bar failed to alert the Prime Minister and the Defense Minister on the morning of the attack, despite allegedly having intelligence for over three hours suggesting an imminent threat. “Had he done so – the massacre could have been avoided,” the statement read.

The PMO disputed Bar’s claim that he ordered the military secretary to be contacted at 05:15, pointing instead to evidence showing the Shin Bet only placed the call at 06:13 — just moments before the assault began.

The statement also highlighted comments made by Bar two days before the attack, when he reportedly said: “The renewal of understandings with Hamas shows potential for preserving stability in the Gaza Strip.” The Prime Minister’s Office labeled Bar “the father of the failure” and declared that he “must go home.”

Regarding Bar’s dismissal, the PMO said the decision to remove him had already been announced in November 2024, contradicting the attorney general’s assertion that the move was tied to the investigation of the ‘Qatar Gate’ affair. “The investigation was intended to prevent the dismissals – not the other way around,” the PMO claimed.

The statement also took issue with Bar’s allegation that the Prime Minister tried to delay his legal proceedings: “The prime minister insisted on holding it without a postponement.”

The PMO further criticized Bar for allegedly mishandling cases of incitement targeting elected officials. “He failed to prevent the firing of flares at the prime minister’s house in Caesarea, which started a fire and injured a security guard,” the office said.

It also charged that Bar ignored repeated pleas from the Prime Minister and cabinet members to address serious incitement. “No illegal action was required – only equitable enforcement that has not yet been implemented,” the statement concluded.

{Matzav.com}

MUST WATCH: You’re not seeing and hearing double! Identical Australian twins talk in-sync as they recount a harrowing armed carjacking they witnessed.

A dramatic and highly unusual scene at a Pesach fair held at the Haifa Port Terminal has sparked attention online: A young chareidi man arrived with his family and purchased every item of chametz—including all the beer and pizzas being sold at the event—and then demanded that they be publicly destroyed.

According to a report published by Walla, the man paid a staggering 83,200 shekels to the bar operators, insisted they sign a declaration pledging not to sell chametz during the Yom Tov, and personally supervised as dozens of beer kegs were emptied and the pizzas were thrown away and incinerated.

Many secular Jews who were at the fair expressed anger over what happened. Assaf Danieli, 43, of Ramat Meir, was attending the event with his family and said he was caught off guard: “When we returned from sailing, the bartender refused to sell me wine because they were busy spilling out the beer. He told me that something crazy happened, pointed at a chareidi guy, and said that he bought all the beer, some 30 kegs, and demanded that they spill it out.”

Clearly frustrated, Danieli continued, “In principle, I think it’s stunning that someone is investing nearly a hundred thousand shekels to save me from my own free will, when that money could actually save people for real. After all, anyone who wanted to drink beer and eat pizza did so a short distance away.”

The organizers behind the event declined to offer a detailed explanation. “This is a totally private event,” said event organizer Asaf Ben-David. Both the Haifa Municipality and Haifa Port emphasized that they were not affiliated with the fair.

Tempo Beer Industries, the company behind Goldstar Beer—which appeared to be a sponsor of the fair—also distanced itself. “Goldstar Beer provides an annual sponsorship to the Haifa Terminal, which hosted the spring fair this year. We have no control over the Terminal’s events, and this was not a sponsorship for the aforementioned event. If we had been aware of the event ahead of time, we would have worked for the removal of Goldstar from the invitation as a sponsor.”

{Matzav.com Israel}

China will sanction United States officials, lawmakers and leaders of non-governmental organizations who it says have “performed poorly” on Hong Kong issues, the foreign ministry announced. The U.S. in March sanctioned six Chinese and Hong Kong officials who it alleged were involved in “transnational repression” and acts threatening to further erode the city’s autonomy. The officials included Justice Secretary Paul Lam, security office director Dong Jingwei and former police commissioner Raymond Siu. In a retaliatory move against Washington, D.C., on Monday, Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun in Beijing said China strongly condemned the acts, calling them “despicable.” The U.S. has seriously interfered in the affairs of Hong Kong and violated international law principles, he said “China has decided to impose sanctions on U.S. congressmen, officials, and NGO leaders who have performed poorly on Hong Kong-related issues,” Guo said, adding the response was made according to the anti-foreign sanctions law. He did not provide more details about who is being targeted. Guo also issued a warning about Hong Kong, saying the southern Chinese city’s affairs are not subject to U.S. interference. Any actions considered wrong by the Chinese government that are taken on Hong Kong-related issues will be met with firm countermeasures and reciprocal retaliation, he said. The tit-for-tat sanctions over Hong Kong’s human rights issues are the latest sign of rising tensions between Beijing and Washington, which are already locked in a trade war that has rattled businesses on both sides. Beijing separately warned other countries on Monday against making trade deals with the U.S. to China’s detriment. The U.S. sanctions on officials in March were not the first related to the former British colony, which returned to Chinese rule in 1997. During Donald Trump’s first presidential term, his government imposed sanctions on Hong Kong and Chinese officials for undermining Hong Kong’s autonomy. In 2021, former President Joe Biden’s administration slapped more sanctions on officials over Beijing’s crackdown on political freedoms in the semi-autonomous city. Since China imposed a national security law in 2020 to quell the 2019 massive anti-government protests, Hong Kong authorities have prosecuted many of the city’s leading activists. Media outlets known for their critical reports of the government shut down following arrests of their top management. Dozens of civil society groups disbanded. Over the past two years, Hong Kong authorities have issued arrest warrants for 19 activists based overseas, with bounties of $1 million Hong Kong dollars ($128,536) for information leading to each of their arrests. Some of them resided in the U.S. The years-long crackdown has drawn criticism from foreign governments, especially because the city was promised its Western-style civil liberties and semi-autonomy would be kept intact for at least 50 years during the 1997 handover. The Beijing and Hong Kong governments insist the law is necessary for the city’s stability. (AP)

“Telling your wife your needs and wants” is a complete waste of time for married men who want happiness and I’ll tell you why. So many marriage experts claim they have the secret to a happy marriage and that it all comes down to communication, boundaries and bringing in more money. They tell you to help out more at home, talk about the past, go together to a marriage professional but never stop to take inventory of whether ANY of these methods are actually WORKING in creating happiness and joy! I am not saying those strategies don’t work at all, but they are the long… slow… painful way of having a happy home. And for the few that make it with these strategies, they’ve done it while he doesn’t get what he needs, and she doesn’t get what she needs.  Meanwhile, we’re helping our clients connect with their wives on the highest level, living lives full of happiness and excitement and it gets more and more joyful by the day where both husband and wife feel happiness and excitement… … all without needing their wife to meet them halfway! To check out how they do this, click below to watch my free presentation where I share all the details … you’re going to thank me for it! 5 Steps Married Men Use to Get Rid of Friction and Create Happiness and Excitement… Without Needing Their Wife to Meet Them Halfway!

Relatives of the hostages erupted in fury after Finance Minister Betzalel Smotrich stated in an Army Radio interview on Monday that the top priority in the war was eliminating Hamas—not securing the captives’ release.

“The only truth is that for your messianic and psychopathic delusions, you are willing to sacrifice my Matan and an entire country,” wrote Einav Zangauker, the mother of hostage Matan Zangauker, on X.

“This morning, the families have only one word: shame,” read a statement issued by the Hostage Families Forum.

“Minister Smotrich—history will remember how you hardened your heart to your brothers and sisters in captivity and chose not to save them—some from death, others from disappearance.”

MK Moshe Gafni of United Torah Judaism condemned the remarks, invoking a dark historical comparison. “The return of the hostages is the most important issue. These kinds of statements are reminiscent of the Sicarii in the time of Rabbi Yochanan ben Zakkai, who believed that national interests were more important than human lives,” he said.

“The United Torah Judaism faction will convene this week to present the matter before the Torah sages and formulate its position on this issue as well.”

In response, Smotrich accused Gafni of drawing dangerous parallels. “Anyone who still lives with an exile mentality and feels that the State of Israel is not the realization of the ingathering of exiles and the return to Zion is capable of imagining a comparison between the current reality and the period of the destruction of the Second Temple,” he said, arguing that Gafni represents a “shrinking minority within the Haredi community.”

Smotrich went on to defend his position. “As for the substance of the matter, the victory over Hamas is meant to save human lives, and nothing endangers lives more—or encourages further kidnappings, terrorism, and bloodshed—than surrendering to a murderous terrorist organization and allowing it to remain a governing power holding weapons in Gaza, tormenting the lives of southern residents, and preparing for the next October 7 massacre.

And regarding the Torah sages—it is time for Gafni to begin respecting the Torah leaders of the religious Zionist community, who are in no way inferior to the great rabbis of the Haredi world and who also fulfill additional commandments, such as high-quality military service to help Israel in times of need and to save lives through action,” Smotrich concluded.

Yair Golan, head of the Democrats party, joined the criticism, accusing the minister of moral abandonment. “Smotrich presents the kidnapped as human sacrifices on the altar of messianic delusions,” he wrote, claiming Smotrich would be willing to let the remaining 59 hostages perish for his “annexation delusions.”

“This is not Zionism. This is neglect. Smotrich is the true face of the Netanyahu government – a government in which neglect and the sacrifice of lives is not a failure, but a policy.”

Avigdor Liberman, who leads the Yisrael Beytenu party, also slammed Smotrich, pointing to past misjudgments. “Before October 7, Smotrich didn’t know what the Nukhba forces were and claimed that Hamas was an asset,” Liberman recalled.

“Whoever was wrong then, it’s better to keep quiet now.”

In his original remarks, Smotrich emphasized that while retrieving the hostages is deeply important, the larger objective must remain the eradication of Hamas. “It is, of course, a very, very, very important goal, whoever wants to destroy Hamas and prevent the possibility of another October 7 needs to understand that there can be no situation where Hamas remains present and intact in Gaza.”

“Let’s make a decision to end Gaza once and for all, let’s build trust with the people, and prove that we are achieving the goal and destroying Hamas,” he urged.

“The excuses are over. There is no Biden, no Blinken, no Gallant, no chief of staff standing in the way of halting humanitarian aid – there are no excuses, and I say to the prime minister, there is no time for this talk. The alternative to surrendering is to take territory in the strip and destroy Hamas,” Smotrich concluded.

{Matzav.com Israel}

After landing in Miami, Ben Gvir stated that in his meetings with Americans, “the issue of the Deep State comes up again and again….The Americans would not leave for a single moment an FBI chief who would act against… the policy of the elected government…We must oust Ronen Bar as quickly as possible!”

During an appearance on NBC’s Meet the Press Sunday, Senator John Kennedy (R-LA) firmly stated that transferring American citizens to prisons overseas is both unlawful and unacceptable.

Host Kristen Welker began by asking, “Do you believe that President Trump is following the orders of the courts right now?”

Kennedy responded, “Yes. And I don’t believe that President Trump will defy a federal judge; if he does, I’ll call him out on it. I believe what I said in the clip. I love the rule of law. I love it like the devil loves sin. I think if we start not following a federal judicial order, we undermine the system entirely. That doesn’t mean you can’t criticize, you can criticize them, you can appeal them, but you cannot choose to not follow them. I haven’t seen President Trump do that. If he does, I’ll say very loudly and clearly that I think he’s wrong.”

Welker then shifted the conversation to another recent remark from President Trump. “Let me ask you about something else. President Trump said this week he’d like to send what he called homegrown criminals, meaning U.S. citizens, to foreign prisons like the one in El Salvador. Senator, do you think the law allows the President of the United States to send U.S. citizens to a foreign prison?”

Kennedy replied without hesitation, “No, ma’am. Nor does it — nor should it be considered appropriate or moral. We have our own laws. We have the Eighth Amendment to the Constitution. We shouldn’t send prisoners to foreign countries, in my judgment.”

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