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As Pesach approaches, communities around the world prepare for the Yom Tov through the age-old halachic process of mechiras chametz. In Yerushalayim, this time-honored tradition took place under the auspices of the Eidah HaChareidis, with the participation of its senior dayanim and rabbinic leaders.

Heading the proceedings was HaGaon Harav Moshe Sternbuch, raavad of the Eidah HaChareidis, who arrived at the Beis Din headquarters in the Givat Moshe neighborhood to conduct the sale, as he does each year.

Photographer Shlomi Trichter was on site to capture the scene:

הגר”מ שטרנבוך במכירת חמץצילום: שלומי טריכטר הגר”מ שטרנבוך במכירת חמץצילום: שלומי טריכטר הגר”מ שטרנבוך במכירת חמץצילום: שלומי טריכטר הגר”מ שטרנבוך במכירת חמץצילום: שלומי טריכטר הגר”מ שטרנבוך במכירת חמץצילום: שלומי טריכטר הגר”מ שטרנבוך במכירת חמץצילום: שלומי טריכטר הגר”מ שטרנבוך במכירת חמץצילום: שלומי טריכטר הגר”מ שטרנבוך במכירת חמץצילום: שלומי טריכטר הגר”מ שטרנבוך במכירת חמץצילום: שלומי טריכטר הגר”מ שטרנבוך במכירת חמץצילום: שלומי טריכטר הגר”מ שטרנבוך במכירת חמץצילום: שלומי טריכטר הגר”מ שטרנבוך במכירת חמץצילום: שלומי טריכטר הגר”מ שטרנבוך במכירת חמץצילום: שלומי טריכטר הגר”מ שטרנבוך במכירת חמץצילום: שלומי טריכטר הגר”מ שטרנבוך במכירת חמץצילום: שלומי טריכטר הגר”מ שטרנבוך במכירת חמץצילום: שלומי טריכטר הגר”מ שטרנבוך במכירת חמץצילום: שלומי טריכטר הגר”מ שטרנבוך במכירת חמץצילום: שלומי טריכטר הגר”מ שטרנבוך במכירת חמץצילום: שלומי טריכטר הגר”מ שטרנבוך במכירת חמץצילום: שלומי טריכטר הגר”מ שטרנבוך במכירת חמץצילום: שלומי טריכטר הגר”מ שטרנבוך במכירת חמץצילום: שלומי טריכטר הגר”מ שטרנבוך במכירת חמץצילום: שלומי טריכטר הגר”מ שטרנבוך במכירת חמץצילום: שלומי טריכטר הגר”מ שטרנבוך במכירת חמץצילום: שלומי טריכטר הגר”מ שטרנבוך במכירת חמץצילום: שלומי טריכטר הגר”מ שטרנבוך במכירת חמץצילום: שלומי טריכטר הגר”מ שטרנבוך במכירת חמץצילום: שלומי טריכטר הגר”מ שטרנבוך במכירת חמץצילום: שלומי טריכטר הגר”מ שטרנבוך במכירת חמץצילום: שלומי טריכטר הגר”מ שטרנבוך במכירת חמץצילום: שלומי טריכטר הגר”מ שטרנבוך במכירת חמץצילום: שלומי טריכטר הגר”מ שטרנבוך במכירת חמץצילום: שלומי טריכטר הגר”מ שטרנבוך במכירת חמץצילום: שלומי טריכטר הגר”מ שטרנבוך במכירת חמץצילום: שלומי טריכטר הגר”מ שטרנבוך במכירת חמץצילום: שלומי טריכטר הגר”מ שטרנבוך במכירת חמץצילום: שלומי טריכטר הגר”מ שטרנבוך במכירת חמץצילום: שלומי טריכטר הגר”מ שטרנבוך במכירת חמץצילום: שלומי טריכטר הגר”מ שטרנבוך במכירת חמץצילום: שלומי טריכטר הגר”מ שטרנבוך במכירת חמץצילום: שלומי טריכטר הגר”מ שטרנבוך במכירת חמץצילום: שלומי טריכטר הגר”מ שטרנבוך במכירת חמץצילום: שלומי טריכטר

A Japanese pilot slammed his Zero fighter plane into the USS Missouri and ignited a fireball on April 11, 1945, during the Battle of Okinawa. The suicide attack instantly killed the pilot, but none of the battleship’s crew members were badly hurt. The Missouri’s captain ordered a military burial at sea with full honors, marking one of the more unusual and little-known episodes of World War II. The pilot received the same funeral that the ship would have given one of its own sailors. Eighty years later, the Missouri is a museum moored at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, not far from the submerged hull of the USS Arizona, which sank in the 1941 Japanese bombing that propelled the U.S. into the war. On Friday, three of the captain’s grandsons will mark the anniversary of the attack and burial with the mayors of Honolulu and the Japanese city of Minamikyushu, from which many kamikaze pilots set off on their suicide missions. “This is one of the ship’s great stories and explains, in part, why the ship became an international symbol of peace and reconciliation within two years of its launching and rather than just an instrument of destruction,” said Michael Carr, CEO of the Battleship Missouri Memorial. “This is a remarkable story of compassion and humanity, even in the midst of one of the worst battles of World War II.” Here’s what to know about the attack on the Missouri and the pilot’s burial: What is a kamikaze pilot? Japan launched a suicide attack campaign as a last-ditch measure to push U.S. forces back late in the war, when it was hopelessly losing. The Imperial Navy founded the Kamikaze Tokko Tai, which translates as Divine Wind Special Attack Corps, and the Imperial Army followed with its own unit. Internationally their missions are called kamikaze, but in Japan they are better known as “tokko,” which means “special attack.” The pilots flew hastily constructed planes and even reconnaissance and training aircraft because the military lacked sufficient equipment. They took off on one-way flights with just enough fuel to reach their targets. Kamikaze sank their first ship on Oct. 25, 1944, when a navy Zero pilot smashed into the USS St. Lo in the Philippine Sea while carrying a pair of 550-pound (250-kilogram) bombs. Britain’s Imperial War Museum says they killed 7,000 Allied naval personnel in all. Their initial 30% success rate fell to about 8% by mid-1945 due to declining crew skills, dwindling aircraft capabilities and improved U.S. defenses. Some 4,000 pilots died on suicide missions, about 2,500 navy and more than 1,400 army, most of them university students drafted in late 1943. Many launched from Chiran, a tea farming town that today is part of Minamikyushu, a city in southwest Japan. The missions became more intense as Japan’s outlook grew more dire and the military showcased the sacrifice of the pilots to drum up patriotism and support for the war. Those who failed to take off or survived were considered a disgrace. Despite stereotypes of kamikaze as super-patriots who volunteered to die, many were not, as shown by their carefully nuanced last letters to loved ones and survivor accounts. “They were victims of war,” said Hiroyuki Nuriki, mayor of Minamikyushu, who noted the pilots were only around 20 years old and had futures. “I’m sure they didn’t want to […]

A halachic storm has erupted across Europe just days before Pesach, centered on the kashrus of Coca-Cola and Pepsi. At the heart of the debate are two rabbanim with sharply opposing views, one permitting the drinks for Pesach consumption in Ukraine, and the other warning that they may contain chametz gamur.

The longstanding halachic debate over Coca-Cola and Pepsi’s kashrus status resurfaces almost every year, but this Pesach, 5785, it has reignited with fresh intensity. Rabbi Avraham Kornick of London, a senior mashgiach under the supervision of the Landau hechsher, released a strongly worded letter and voice message asserting, “Anything not produced specifically for Eretz Yisrael under the Landau certification is absolute chametz.”

The uproar followed the publication of a Pesach product list by Rabbi Yaakov Jan, head of the kashrus agency in Uman, Ukraine. His list declared that Coca-Cola and Pepsi sold in Ukraine are suitable for Pesach, with the only concern being the presence of kitniyos—a stringency for Ashkenazim who are meticulous in this regard.

Rabbi Kornick, who is regularly stationed at the Coca-Cola flavoring plant in Ireland, responded with alarm, launching a full-throated public rebuke. “I cannot fathom how a respected rav who purports to head a kashrus organization in Uman and Ukraine can publish a list of Pesach-approved products,” he said. “To write that Coca-Cola and Pepsi are kosher for Pesach? That’s nothing less than causing innocent Jews to stumble! These products pose a real concern of chametz gamur!”

He explained that only the shipments designated for Israel are produced under full-time supervision. All other flavoring compounds produced in the Irish facility for distribution across Europe, including Ukraine, he claimed, are completely unsupervised and may contain wheat-based additives.

Rabbi Jan did not remain silent. His response, issued through the Ukrainian kashrus division, was sharp and personal. “The writer is brazen and insolent! If he had any yiras Shamayim, he would have reached out to me to ask why I permitted it and we could have discussed it like talmidei chachamim. Clearly, this man is either an am ha’aretz or carries a grudge against me, and that’s why he chose such a disgraceful way to express himself.”

Rabbi Jan stood his ground, insisting that there is absolutely no concern of chametz. At most, he said, one could argue there is a kitniyos issue, which in his view is a non-issue due to its nature as a stringency and the pre-Yom Tov bitul. “There are lenient opinions and stringent ones,” he wrote. “The only issue with cola is a potential concern of kitniyos. Since this is a minhag of chumrah and the ingredients are nullified before Pesach, there is no concern of chametz whatsoever.”

He added that his position is based on clear halachic standards. “He speaks nonsense. With Hashem’s help, I hope to publish a written explanation for anyone who wishes to understand. Only time limits what the heart wishes to share.” He concluded with a blessing: “May we all merit to partake of the korbanos in the Beis HaMikdash together, speedily in our days. Amen.”

{Matzav.com}

Former President Donald Trump reiterated his call on Friday for permanent Daylight Saving Time, as lawmakers on both sides of the aisle continue to promote legislation aimed at extending evening daylight throughout the winter months.

“The House and Senate should push hard for more Daylight at the end of a day,” Trump wrote on Truth Social.

“Very popular and, most importantly, no more changing of the clocks, a big inconvenience and, for our government, A VERY COSTLY EVENT!!!”

Trump, now 78, had previously championed the change but seemed to express hesitation just last month, pointing out concerns voiced by people in northern states about students having to travel to school before sunrise during winter.

In a statement issued in December, Trump said: “The Republican Party will use its best efforts to eliminate Daylight Saving Time, which has a small but strong constituency, but shouldn’t!”

However, during a meeting in the Oval Office last month, Trump expressed mixed feelings about the topic, stating that it was “hard to get excited” about the proposal. “It’s very much a fifty-fifty issue and it’s something I can do, but a lot of people like it one way, a lot of people like it the other way,” he remarked.

“I assume people would like to have more light later,” Trump added at the time, “but some people want to have more light earlier because they don’t want to take their kids to school in the dark.”

Momentum for ending the biannual clock change gained traction in 2022 when a proposal introduced by then-Senator Marco Rubio of Florida — who now serves as Trump’s secretary of state — passed the Senate without objection but later stalled in the House.

{Matzav.com}

The Senate confirmed retired Air Force Lt. Gen. Dan “Razin” Caine to become the next chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff on Friday, filling the position almost two months after President Donald Trump fired his predecessor. Trump nominated Caine to become the top U.S. military officer in February after abruptly firing Gen. CQ Brown Jr., the second Black general to serve as chairman, as part of his Republican administration’s campaign to rid the military of leaders who support diversity and equity in the ranks. The Senate confirmed Caine 60-25 in an overnight vote before heading home for a two-week recess. Caine is a decorated F-16 combat pilot who served in leadership in multiple special operations commands, in some of the Pentagon’s most classified programs and in the CIA. But he does not meet prerequisites for the job set out in a 1986 law, such as being a combatant commander or service chief. Those requirements can be waived by the president if there is a determination that “such action is necessary in the national interest.” Caine’s confirmation in the middle of the night, just before the Senate left town, comes as Republicans have been quickly advancing Trump’s nominees and as Democrats have been trying to delay the process and show that they are fighting Trump’s policies. Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., set up the early morning vote after Democrats objected to speeding up procedural votes on the nomination. Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer of New York voted against Caine’s confirmation, saying in a statement that “I remain outraged” about Brown’s firing and that he is skeptical of Trump’s intentions in nominating Caine. “General Caine has served our nation with distinction in the Air Force and Air National Guard, including over multiple combat deployments,” Schumer said. “Now, as our nation’s top military advisor, I hope he will continue to fight for the needs of our servicemembers, speak truth to power, and resist Donald Trump when he’s wrong.” Still, the vote was bipartisan, with 15 Democrats and independent Sen. Angus King of Maine voting in support of Caine’s nomination. At his confirmation hearing earlier this month, Caine said he would be candid in his advice to Trump and vowed to be apolitical. Caine disputed Trump’s story that Caine wore a “Make America Great Again” hat when the two first met. “I have never worn any political merchandise,” he said. Asked how he would react if ordered to direct the military to do something potentially illegal, such as being used against civilians in domestic law enforcement, he told senators that it is “the duty and the job that I have” to push back. Trump’s relationship with Caine dates to his first administration. They met during a trip to Iraq, as Trump recounted in a 2019 speech. He has said Caine is “a real general, not a television general.” During his first term, Trump’s relationship with then-Chairman Gen. Mark Milley soured as Milley pushed back and took steps to try to prevent what he saw as an attempt to politicize the office. Milley would remind military service members that they took an oath to the Constitution, not to a president. Within hours of Trump’s inauguration in January, Milley’s portrait as chairman of the Joint Chiefs was removed from the Pentagon. Milley’s security clearance […]

Turkish news outlets reported that six individuals, including three members of the same family, have been handed lengthy prison sentences totaling 100 years for allegedly spying on behalf of Israel’s Mossad. The charges centered around espionage activities and intelligence collection against specific individuals.

The arrests were initially made in April 2024 by Turkey’s National Intelligence Organization (MIT), which had been monitoring the group in Istanbul before launching a coordinated operation to detain eight suspects.

Among those sentenced was Ahmet Ersin Tumlucalı, an insurance company executive, who was identified as the ringleader. He was found guilty of directing a network of operatives, including members of his own household, and was sentenced to 22 years and six months in prison.

Following deliberation, Istanbul’s 23rd Heavy Penal Court reduced Tumlucalı’s sentence to 18 years and nine months, citing “good behavior” as the reason for leniency.

His wife, Benan Tumlucalı, was sentenced to 16 years and eight months, while her daughter from a previous marriage, Dila Sultan Şimşek, received a prison term of 15 years, seven months, and 15 days.

The court also handed identical sentences—15 years, seven months, and 15 days each—to three other individuals implicated in the case: Cem Ozcan, Ozkan Arican, and Fuzuli Simsek.

Authorities claimed that the group operated on behalf of Mossad and collected sensitive intelligence. Prosecutors alleged they were affiliated with Mossad’s “online operations” division and were responsible for photographing and monitoring persons of interest inside Turkey.

The official charge sheet stated, “the suspects were engaged in acts of obtaining information about foreigners in the country, particularly those who fled their home countries due to conflicts and shared this intelligence with (Mossad).”

Investigators alleged that Tumlucalı maintained contact with a Mossad handler known only by the alias “Jorg,” and that they used Skype for communication. Their meetings reportedly took place in Vienna and Munich in 2011 and 2017.

Another Israeli intelligence officer, Gavin Alfron, was also named in the case. Tumlucalı is said to have met with Alfron multiple times in Vienna and Frankfurt between 2017 and 2020, at which point Mossad reportedly ended their arrangement.

In addition to intelligence activities within Turkey, Tumlucalı is accused of operating in Georgia and Germany, and allegedly supplied Israel with “some official documents from Lebanon.”

The group is believed to have targeted individuals of Lebanese, Jordanian, Syrian, and Azerbaijani origin. Authorities claim that Tumlucalı’s wife, stepdaughter, and sister-in-law, Berna Çetin, were actively involved in the surveillance missions.

{Matzav.com}

Members of Israel’s elite military intelligence Unit 8200 have penned a collective letter urging the government to prioritize the return of the hostages held in Gaza—even if that means halting combat operations—according to reports in Israeli media on Friday.

The letter, signed by a wide range of individuals including reservist officers, current service members, and veterans, mirrors a recent public message released by Israel Air Force personnel. KAN reported that the initiators plan to disseminate the letter in a similar fashion.

In their statement, the 8200 signatories expressed sharp criticism of the government’s handling of the conflict. “We identify with the grave and troubling assertion that, at this time, the war serves primarily political and personal interests, not security interests.”

They continued by warning that persisting with the current military campaign would only deepen the crisis. “Continuing the war contributes nothing to its stated objectives and will lead to the deaths of hostages, IDF soldiers, and innocent civilians. We are concerned about the erosion of the reserve force and the growing rates of non-reporting for duty, and we worry about the long-term consequences of this trend.”

The letter further argued that diplomatic measures are the only viable path to recovering the captives. “Only an agreement can bring the hostages back safely, while military pressure mainly results in the killing of hostages and endangers our soldiers,” the letter continued. “Every day that passes their lives are at risk; every additional moment of hesitation is a disgrace.”

Meanwhile, the IDF reportedly plans to dismiss several hundred air force reservists who recently signed a published appeal demanding a cessation of the war.

Though the message focuses primarily on the conflict, some of those involved are also vocal opponents of Prime Minister Netanyahu’s push to reform the judiciary and his alleged attempts to remove Shin Bet head Ronen Bar.

Of all those who endorsed the letter, only 60 currently serve in the reserves, and among them, the number of active pilots is reportedly fewer than ten.

IDF Chief of Staff Lt.-Gen. Eyal Zamir has taken the position that regardless of the political turbulence surrounding Netanyahu’s leadership, the IDF must remain apolitical. He emphasized that reservists are prohibited from publicly expressing views on matters decided by Israel’s democratically elected government.

{Matzav.com}

A woman in Australia unknowingly gave birth to a stranger’s baby after she received another patient’s embryo from her in vitro fertilization clinic due to “human error,” the clinic said. The mix-up was discovered in February when the clinic in the city of Brisbane found that the birth parents had one too many embryos in storage, said the provider, Monash IVF, in a statement supplied Friday. Staff discovered an embryo from another patient had been mistakenly thawed and transferred to the birth mother, a spokesperson said. Australia news outlets reported the baby was born in 2024. Monash IVF didn’t confirm how old the child was. The company, one of Australia’s biggest IVF providers, said an initial investigation had not uncovered any other such errors. Its statement didn’t identify the patients involved or divulge details about the child’s custody. “All of us at Monash IVF are devastated and we apologise to everyone involved,” said CEO Michael Knaap. “We will continue to support the patients through this extremely distressing time.” The “human error” was made “despite strict laboratory safety protocols being in place,” the statement said. The company said it had reported the episode to the relevant regulator in the state of Queensland. Monash IVF opened in 1971 and sees patients in dozens of locations throughout Australia. Last year, the firm settled a class-action lawsuit from more than 700 patients, making no admission of liability, after claims its clinics destroyed potentially viable embryos. The clinic paid a settlement of 56 million Australian dollars ($35 million). Rare cases of embryo mix-ups have been reported before, including in the United States, Britain, Israel and Europe. A woman in the U.S. state of Georgia in February filed a lawsuit against a fertility clinic after she gave birth to a stranger’s baby. Krystena Murray realized the error after the baby’s birth because she and her husband were both white and the child was black. Murray said she wanted to raise the baby but voluntarily gave the 5-month-old to his biological parents after she was told she would not win a legal fight for his custody. In Australia, each state makes its own laws and rules governing the use of IVF, which advocates say puts patients at risk of error or oversight failings. Queensland’s parliament passed its first laws regulating the sector in 2024. (AP)

The head of a New York City helicopter tour company said the aircraft that crashed into the Hudson River, killing six people—including a visiting Spanish family of five—was heading back to refuel when the fatal incident occurred.

Michael Roth, CEO of New York Helicopter Tour, explained that the pilot had radioed in to report a low fuel situation shortly before the helicopter went down on Thursday afternoon.

“He [the pilot] called in that he was landing and that he needed fuel, and it should have taken him about three minutes to arrive, but 20 minutes later, he didn’t arrive,” Roth told the Telegraph.

The passengers aboard the helicopter were all tourists from Spain who had come to New York City for a vacation.

Agustin Escobar, along with his wife Merce Camprubi Montal and their three children, died in the crash. The pilot, who has not yet been publicly identified, was also killed.

Escobar held the position of global CEO for rail infrastructure at Siemens Mobility. His wife worked in a high-level role at Siemens Energy, managing worldwide commercialization efforts.

According to emergency responders, four of the victims were declared dead at the scene, while the remaining two succumbed to their injuries at the hospital.

Photos on the company’s website, now painfully poignant, show Escobar, Montal, and their children smiling in front of the Bell 206L-4 LongRanger IV helicopter and buckled in for their flight.

Roth said he first found out about the crash through one of his employees at the heliport, who had heard rumors of an accident but didn’t realize it involved their own aircraft.

“Then one of my pilots flew over the Hudson and saw the helicopter upside down,” he told the Telegraph.

In an earlier interview with The NY Post, Roth shared his emotional reaction to the tragedy that claimed the lives of six people, including three children.

“It’s devastation,” he said. “I’m a father and a grandfather and to have children on there, I’m devastated. I’m absolutely devastated.”

Roth declined to offer a definitive explanation for what brought the chopper down, saying he could only comment on what he saw from video footage of the crash.

“The only thing I know by watching a video of the helicopter falling down, that the main rotor blades weren’t on the helicopter,” Roth said. “And I haven’t seen anything like that in my 30 years being in business, in the helicopter business. The only thing I could guess — I got no clue — is that it either had a bird strike or the main rotor blades failed. I have no clue. I don’t know.”

Authorities said the Bell 206 broke apart midair as it traveled above the Hudson River between New York and New Jersey around 3:15 p.m.

A video of the crash shows the helicopter spiraling and slamming into the river upside down, sending a large spray of water into the air near Pier 40, located at West Houston Street and West Street.

Soon after, the rotor blades were seen detaching and spinning wildly into the river on their own.

Eyewitnesses near the scene reported hearing a loud “boom sound” at the time of the crash.

Recovery teams have started to remove debris from the river while a formal investigation into what led to the tragic accident is underway. Late Thursday, crews recovered the wrecked remains of the helicopter from the frigid Hudson River.

{Matzav.com}

On Thursday’s episode of MSNBC’s All In, Representative Jasmine Crockett (D-TX) expressed disbelief that more people aren’t raising concerns about former President Donald Trump’s capacity to lead, calling it “beyond wild” that his “mental acuity or fitness to serve” remains largely unchallenged.

Discussing Trump’s trade policies, Crockett said, “When we start to talk about these tariffs, these tariffs are not limited to any one type of people. It’s not limited to Democrats, Republicans or Independents. It’s not limited to urban or rural. We know for a fact if we look back just at his last administration, what it did to the soybean farmers, right. And we ultimately ended up having to give them money to supplant the fact that they lost so much money. But this crazy tariff war that nobody asked for, where he basically is invoking emergency powers, the same thing that he did under the Alien Enemies Act.”

She went on to criticize the silence around Trump’s mental state, contrasting it with the frequent jabs made at President Biden. “Like the fact that no one is questioning his mental acuity or fitness to serve is beyond wild to me, right? Like the fact that they sat around called Joe Biden sleepy Joe Biden. and as I said before, at least you could sleep at night because you didn’t have to worry about your 401K disappearing overnight. You didn’t have to worry about these allegations of fake invasions. You didn’t have to worry about the cost of food just skyrocketing or the skyrocketing cost of all of your electronics.”

Crockett concluded by urging voters to stay engaged and not forget the impact of Trump’s past leadership. “So, you know, I just hope that people remember because seemingly they got amnesia the first time. And so you’ve got opportunities to vote. And I will tell you that every single special election we’ve had, Democrats are swinging no less than 15 points. But honestly, we should be swinging 30 and 40 points because of the level of incompetence and harm that this administration is bringing upon all of us.”

{Matzav.com}

Australian opposition leader Peter Dutton confirmed on Friday that his family home had been the target of an alleged bomb plot, but said concerns for his personal safety did not restrict his election campaigning. Dutton is campaigning to replace Prime Minister Anthony Albanese at elections on May 3. Both leaders are accompanied in public by Australian Federal Police security teams as they crisscross the country for weeks. “I’m incredibly grateful to the AFP that my family are kept safe. I’ve never felt unsafe one day in this job, particularly with the protection from the AFP. It hasn’t stopped me from doing anything, and it won’t on this campaign,” Dutton told reporters in Perth. “This job is about a test of character: Do you have the strength of character regardless of what’s thrown at you to deal with the issues and to act in our country’s best interests?” Dutton added. Teenage boy charged with terror plot Dutton’s security came into focus after a 16-year-old boy was ordered on Thursday to stand trial in the Queensland state Supreme Court in Brisbane charged with planning a terrorist act. The boy was arrested in August last year and cannot be named because of his age. He faces a potential life sentence if convicted. Dutton’s home, where he lives with his wife and three children on Brisbane’s outskirts, had been the target of the alleged plot involving explosives and a drone, unnamed sources told The Australian newspaper on Friday. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said he had reached out to Dutton over the news. Albanese said he had also been the target of a “pretty serious incident,” but declined to elaborate. “It is a fact that the number of threats that have been made to parliamentarians has increased in recent times,” Albanese told reporters in Darwin. “There’s no place whatsoever in politics for any of this and I have ensured that any time any member of parliament, regardless of who they are, have asked for support, that that have received it,” Albanese added. Threats against Australian lawmakers on the rise Albanese’s Sydney office is one of several lawmakers’ offices that have been vandalized by pro-Palestinian activists since the Israel-Hamas war began in 2023. Australian Federal Police Commissioner Reece Kershaw told a senate committee last month that police responded to 1,009 threats against lawmakers in the 2023-24 fiscal year. That total was on track to be surpassed in the current fiscal year, which began in July 2024, with 712 threats reported by March, he said. Dutton’s conservative Liberal Party campaign spokesperson James Paterson said the opposition leader’s family “require around-the-clock personal police protection.” Dutton said he had been receiving the same level of protection as a prime minister since 2014 when he was made minister for immigration and border protection and began deporting criminals. “I canceled the visas of a lot of bikies and rapists and organized crime figures and I wouldn’t change that,” Dutton said. “There’s been an impact on my family. They’ve been stoic and never complained about the security that’s been around me and my family.” (AP)

During an appearance on MSNBC’s Deadline Thursday, Senator Adam Schiff (D-CA) warned that President Donald Trump’s ongoing tariff policies could trigger a mass exodus of Republican support, saying they would “abandon him like rats off a sinking ship.”

Host Nicolle Wallace pointed to Trump’s declining approval ratings, stating, “I mean, the other thing that’s happened is Donald Trump’s approval rating has plunged. He’s at 41% overall approval and down to 40% on the economy. The tariffs are lower than that. When do you think Republicans will reassert themselves as elected officials?”

Schiff responded by criticizing Trump’s economic approach, especially his reliance on tariffs. “Well, had he continued, and if he does continue along this tariff, destroy our economy, this self-inflicted wound to our economy, Republicans are going to abandon him like rats off a sinking ship. It’s unsustainable. You already saw Republicans start to abandon him. We brought up a resolution, Tim Kaine did, got four Republican votes, enough to get it passed in the Senate to try to stop these destructive tariffs on Canada.”

He continued by noting that this wasn’t just rhetorical dissent—it was reflected in actual Senate votes. “That was Republicans not just speaking privately, not just speaking publicly, but actually voting against the president. And you’re going to see more and more of that, the more destruction he brings to our economy. Just watching this display in the administration, as the president’s aides were out there after this latest flip-flop, saying it wasn’t a flip-flop, it was — it was planned that way. You know, you’re just not smart enough to see the president’s brilliant strategy, his art of the deal.”

{Matzav.com}

A Turkish court has sentenced six individuals, including three members of the same family, to a combined total of 100 years in prison for conducting espionage on behalf of Israel’s Mossad intelligence agency, according to Turkish media reports published Thursday. The Istanbul 23rd Heavy Penal Court handed down the sentences following a lengthy investigation and surveillance operation led by Turkey’s National Intelligence Organization (MIT). The group was arrested in April 2024 in Istanbul. At the center of the case is Ahmet Ersin Tumlucalı, an insurance company owner, who was convicted of running a covert network that carried out surveillance operations for Mossad. Initially sentenced to 22 years and six months in prison, his sentence was reduced to 18 years and nine months for good behavior. His wife, Benan Tumlucalı, received a prison sentence of 16 years and eight months, while his stepdaughter, Dila Sultan Şimşek, was sentenced to 15 years, seven months, and 15 days. Three other operatives — Cem Ozcan, Ozkan Arican, and Fuzuli Simsek — received identical sentences of 15 years, seven months, and 15 days each. According to the indictment, the group was tasked with gathering information on foreign nationals living in Turkey, particularly those who had fled their home countries due to regional conflicts. The prosecution said the operatives were part of Mossad’s “online operations” unit and were responsible for photo surveillance and collecting sensitive information, which was then transferred to Israeli intelligence. Ahmet Tumlucalı is accused of maintaining direct contact with a Mossad handler known by the code name “Jorg,” with whom he allegedly communicated via Skype and met in Vienna and Munich in 2011 and 2017. He is also said to have met another Mossad officer, Gavin Alfron, in Vienna and Frankfurt between 2017 and 2020, when his alleged contract with Mossad was terminated. Tumlucalı’s surveillance activities reportedly extended beyond Turkey to include Georgia and Germany. The indictment further claims that he provided Mossad with official documents from Lebanon and that surveillance targets included nationals from Lebanon, Jordan, Syria, and Azerbaijan. MIT investigators found that his wife, stepdaughter, and sister-in-law, Berna Çetin, assisted in many of the operations. Between 2014 and 2019, large sums of money were reportedly transferred to Benan Tumlucalı’s bank account as payment for their work. In one instance, the group allegedly received €300,000 (approximately $333,000). “Mossad has been trying to operate in Türkiye for a long time, but since it cannot send its own agents, it identifies such people and uses them as a spy network,” said CNN Türk’s Istanbul News Director Nihat Uludağ. Authorities said the operatives transferred both official and personal data of individuals and entities within Turkey to Israeli intelligence. (YWN World Headquarters – NYC)

Classified files connected to the killings of Senator Robert F. Kennedy Sr. and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. are finally set to be made public, according to an announcement Thursday by Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard. The long-hidden documents are scheduled to be unveiled “in the next few days” after remaining untouched “for decades.”

The news came during a White House gathering where Gabbard sat just a short distance from Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.—son of the slain senator—as well as President Donald Trump and members of the presidential cabinet.

“We’ve been scanning — I’ve had over a hundred people working around the clock to scan the paper around RFK, Sen. Robert F. Kennedy’s assassination, as well as Martin Luther King Jr.’s assassination,” Gabbard said during the meeting.

“These have been sitting in boxes in storage for decades, they have never been scanned or seen before. We’ll have those ready to release here in the next few days,” she added.

Trump reacted positively to the revelation, saying, “That’s great,” before turning to Kennedy Jr. and asking how he was feeling.

“I’m very gratified,” he replied.

“That’s hitting close to home,” Trump noted. “I’m thinking about Bobby when that statement was made.”

Kennedy Jr. went on to express his appreciation, adding that he is “very grateful.”

Kennedy Jr., who now serves as the Secretary of Health and Human Services, was in his teens when his father—President John F. Kennedy’s younger brother—was gunned down at the Ambassador Hotel in Los Angeles shortly after claiming victory in the California Democratic presidential primary in June 1986.

“And you let Bobby see some of this because, you know, it’s very personal stuff. But it’s time,” Trump said to Gabbard. She confirmed that Kennedy Jr. had previously told her the importance of making the materials public, saying the “world needs to know the truth.”

Earlier this year, in January, Trump authorized an executive order to unseal records concerning the assassinations of JFK, RFK Sr., and Dr. King.

The files pertaining to JFK were made available on March 18, and according to Gabbard, “no redactions” were applied to those documents.

While campaigning in 2024, Trump promised to launch a commission to investigate presidential assassinations. The pledge came as a tribute to RFK Jr., and was made just one month after Trump himself survived an assassination attempt at a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania.

{Matzav.com}

A man was taken into custody early Friday morning after attempting to rob a deli cashier at machete-point near New Utrecht Avenue and 55th Street. The incident unfolded around 1 a.m. when Boro Park Shomrim received a hotline call about a suspicious individual. Volunteers kept a close watch as the suspect entered a local deli. After being refused by the cashier, the man reportedly pulled out a large machete and demanded money. Shomrim immediately alerted the NYPD and helped guide responding officers, who arrested the suspect moments later on 13th Avenue. The large machete was recovered from the suspect’s pocket, as seen in the video below. Thankfully, no injuries were reported. THIS STORY WAS FIRST PUBLISHED ON THE BORO PARK SCOOP STATUS CLICK HERE SIGN UP TO THE BORO PARK SCOOP WHATSAPP STATUS TO BE INFORMED OF BORO PARK NEWS IN LIVE TIME (YWN World Headquarters – NYC)

FDNY Commissioner Robert S. Tucker and senior officials from the Department met with Jewish community leaders from across New York City on Tuesday, to discuss fire safety ahead of the Passover holiday. The meeting took place at FDNY Headquarters in Brooklyn and focused on proactive measures to help ensure a safe and joyous celebration. “We want everyone to have a happy Passover, and that means being smart when it comes to celebrating,” said Commissioner Tucker. “The FDNY will be out in your community ensuring you have a safe holiday.” The Commissioner emphasized the Department’s ongoing commitment to working closely with community organizations to promote fire safety awareness during the Yom Tov season. Representatives from Hatzolah, Shomrim, Chaverim, and Misaskim—representing all five boroughs—were in attendance, demonstrating a strong show of unity and collaboration between emergency services, community groups, and city officials. Their joint presence highlighted the importance of coordination in preparing for the increased risks associated with the holiday. This year, Passover begins before sundown on Saturday, April 12, and ends after nightfall on Sunday, April 20. With many households engaging in extensive cooking, candle lighting, and other fire-related rituals, the FDNY urged the public to keep safety top of mind. Among the key fire safety tips shared during the event were: keeping candles at least four feet away from flammable items such as curtains and bedding, never leaving a burning candle or cooking food unattended, keeping flammable kitchen items like paper towels and oven mitts away from heat sources, and turning pot and pan handles inward to avoid spills and accidents. As Passover approaches, the FDNY and community organizations remain committed to working together to ensure that families across New York can celebrate safely. Videos and photos from the event will be shared shortly. (YWN World Headquarters – NYC)

A subway tunnel under construction near Seoul collapsed on Friday, likely leaving two workers trapped at the site, officials said. The National Fire Agency said in a statement that authorities were mobilizing 55 rescue workers and 18 vehicles to rescue possible victims. The collapse happened at Gwangmyeong, a city just south of Seoul. Gwangmyeong city officials said authorities earlier withdrew workers from the construction site and stopped traffic around the area after receiving reports that a ventilation shaft at the site was at a risk of collapse. The officials said it wasn’t immediately known whether any workers re-entered the site. (AP)

A newly released survey shows that Americans from different age groups and political affiliations are viewing Israel less positively now than they did before October 7, 2023. In addition, more than half of those polled expressed distrust in Prime Minister Bibi Netanyahu’s ability to make sound decisions.

According to the Pew Research Center, 53% of respondents now hold an unfavorable opinion of Israel, a noticeable jump from 42% in 2022. Among Republicans, 37% now view Israel negatively, up from 27% two years ago. Among Democrats, that number rose from 53% to 69%.

Younger Americans in both political parties appear especially critical. The data shows that 50% of Republicans under the age of 49 have a negative perception of Israel, as do 71% of Democrats in the same age bracket.

The survey also revealed that most Americans reject the controversial idea of the U.S. seizing control of Gaza for redevelopment — a plan first floated by President Donald Trump back in February.

Pew’s findings show that 62% of Americans are opposed to the proposal, with nearly half — 49% — strongly rejecting it. Only 15% expressed support for the idea. Within Trump’s own party, 44% oppose the proposal, while 27% back it.

Despite the resistance, 46% of those surveyed believe it is either somewhat or very likely that Trump will move forward with the plan if elected again.

These numbers were released Tuesday, just before Trump’s meeting with Netanyahu this week, during which he reiterated his position on the issue.

Trump maintained that the reaction to his proposal has been mostly positive, even though the plan has been widely dismissed by global leaders and international observers.

“Having a peace force like the United States there controlling and owning the Gaza Strip would be a good thing,” Trump said, seemingly contradicting earlier efforts by his team to walk back his remarks about deploying American troops in Gaza.

The survey noted that Democratic attitudes toward Israel have worsened across generations, but especially among older Democrats, whose unfavorable views have risen 23 points. “Younger and older Democrats alike have turned more negative toward Israel over these three years, but negative views among younger Democrats have grown by 9 points, compared with a 23-point increase among older Democrats,” the poll states. “Among Republicans, much of the shift in attitudes has come among younger adults. Republicans under 50 are now about as likely to have a negative view of Israel as a positive one (50% vs. 48%). In 2022, they were much more likely to see Israel positively than negatively (63% vs. 35%).”

Among different religious communities in the U.S., only Jews and Protestants showed majority support for Israel, with 73% of Jews and 57% of Protestants expressing favorable opinions. Notably, 72% of white evangelicals view Israel positively. Catholics were divided, with 53% holding negative views and 45% positive. Among Muslims, 81% said they had an unfavorable view of Israel.

These findings echo trends found in a Gallup poll from February, which also reported a decline in American support for Israel.

When respondents were asked about their view of Netanyahu, 52% said they had little or no trust in him to “do the right thing regarding world affairs,” compared with 32% who said they did have confidence. Pew pointed out that “the share of Americans with little or no confidence in Netanyahu rose significantly between 2023 and 2024.”

The poll also showed a partisan divide on Netanyahu: 51% of Republicans expressed confidence in his leadership, while just 15% of Democrats said the same.

Among American Jews, opinion was split: 53% said they lack confidence in Netanyahu, while 45% said they trust him. White evangelical Protestants were the only religious group in the U.S. where a majority expressed faith in Netanyahu.

Interest in the ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas has declined slightly since the October 7, 2023, terrorist attacks. Currently, 54% of Americans say the war remains personally significant to them, down from 65% in January.

Among Jews, the war continues to resonate strongly. A full 93% say the conflict is important to them, with 74% describing it as “very important.”

The poll was conducted between March 24 and March 30, surveying a representative sample of 3,605 adults across the United States.

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The staff at Matzav.com, Matzav WhatsApp, and Matzav Status wishes all of our readers around the globe a chag kosher vesomeiach and a kosheren Pesach.

We are grateful to all those who have supported Matzav.com in this important endeavor to provide a kosher and informative Torah newscenter for the greater frum community. We express our gratitude to those who have encouraged and guided us. Of course, we thank our supporters, sponsors and advertisers, as well as our dedicated readers and contributors from countries around the world.

Thank you for making all Matzav.com platforms the #1 English-Language Torah news and inspiration choice for the frum community.

Have a wonderful and meaningful Yom Tov.

The Matzav.com Staff

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Donald Trump is undergoing his annual physical on Friday, potentially giving the public its first details in years about the health of a man who in January became the oldest in U.S. history to be sworn in as president. “I have never felt better, but nevertheless, these things must be done!” Trump, 78, posted on his social media site. Despite long questioning predecessor Joe Biden’s physical and mental capacity, Trump has routinely kept basic facts about his own health shrouded in secrecy — shying away from traditional presidential transparency on medical issues. If history is any indication, his latest physical is likely to produce a flattering report that’s scarce on details. It will be conducted at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center and will be the first public information on Trump’s health since an assassination attempt against him in Butler, Pennsylvania, in July. Rather than release medical records at that time, Texas Rep. Ronny Jackson — a staunch supporter who served as his White House physician and once joked in the White House briefing room that Trump could live to be 200 if he had a healthier diet — wrote a memo describing a gunshot wound to Trump’s right ear. In a subsequent interview with CBS last August, Trump said he’d “very gladly” release his medical records but never did. Trump is three years younger than Biden. But on Inauguration Day of his second term in January, Trump was five months older than Biden was during his 2021 inauguration — making Trump the nation’s oldest president to be sworn into office. Before Jackson’s memo, Americans hadn’t seen key details about Trump’s health since November 2023, when Dr. Bruce A. Aronwald released a letter to coincide with Biden’s 81st birthday, saying Trump was in “excellent” physical and mental health. The letter, posted on Trump’s social media platform, contained no details — such as the Republican’s weight, blood pressure and cholesterol levels, or the results of any test. Instead, Aronwlad wrote that he’d examined Trump that fall and found his “physical exams were well within the normal range and his cognitive exams were exceptional,” while also noting that Trump had “reduced his weight.” Trump was treated at Walter Reed for his serious bout with the coronavirus in 2020. During that, Trump’s physician offered a rosy prognosis on his condition, though White House chief of staff Mark Meadows said some of Trump’s vital signs were “very concerning.” After Trump recovered, more details emerged that he had been sicker than he’d let on. But Trump largely refused to say more about his health at the time, instead submitting to a pretaped, remote medical “evaluation” and interview on Fox News Channel. That was conducted by Dr. Marc Siegel, a Fox News contributor who had questioned Hillary Clinton’s physical ability to serve as president in 2016 and later urged the Biden White House to test the then-president’s cognitive acuity. In November 2019, meanwhile, Trump’s trip to Walter Reed for a physical was omitted from his public schedule, breaking the White House protocol of giving advance public notice of them. The visit was revealed three days later, with Trump disclosing that he’d had a “very routine physical.” The White House released a subsequent statement from the president’s then-personal physician, U.S. Navy Cmdr. Sean Conley, saying it had […]