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Chairman of Shas Aryeh Deri lashed out Wednesday evening at his coalition partners—Bezalel Smotrich, Itamar Ben Gvir, and the Likud—over what he described in closed-door conversations as their “deafening silence” following a High Court decision freezing funds for chareidi Torah education.

According to associates who spoke with Deri, the Shas leader expressed deep anger and disappointment at the lack of public condemnation from senior coalition figures after the High Court issued an interim order halting the transfer of roughly one billion shekels earmarked for chareidi educational institutions. The ruling has intensified tensions inside the coalition as preparations for elections—widely expected later this year—accelerate, with cracks and internal rifts becoming increasingly visible.

Deri was quoted as saying that the decision was being treated “as if it were a budget for climate issues or beach cleanups,” adding a pointed warning to his partners: “They must understand clearly—the Jewish identity of this country is the foundation of this government. Without education based on the Torah of Israel, even the struggle for the Land of Israel will not succeed.”

Earlier in the evening, Deri held what was described as a sharp and heated phone call with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who is currently in the United States. During the conversation, Deri conveyed what his office termed a “forceful protest” against the High Court’s decision, warning that its implications amount to “the destruction of the entire chareidi education system.”

Deri told Netanyahu that the issue transcends chareidi party politics and constitutes a fight for the coalition as a whole. He demanded that upon his return, the prime minister immediately convene the ministerial team established to address chareidi education and mobilize all available political and financial resources to combat the ruling. Netanyahu, according to those briefed on the call, voiced full backing for Deri’s demand and pledged to convene the ministers promptly to deal with the matter.

Meanwhile, MK Moshe Arbel publicly broke his silence with a scathing attack on the High Court. “There are no judges in Yerushalayim,” Arbel said. “Since I became politically aware, I cannot recall a petition by a party that failed to secure a parliamentary majority managing, within a single day, to cancel a Knesset decision through a judicial ruling that directly harms the salaries of teachers in Israel.” He went on to mockingly invite what he called the “High Court Party” to run together with Yesh Atid in the next Knesset elections.

The High Court’s interim order, issued Wednesday evening by Justice Yael Wilner, freezes the transfer of approximately one billion shekels approved earlier this week by the Knesset Finance Committee. The funds were designated for chareidi educational frameworks and were halted following a petition filed by Yesh Atid. In her ruling, Wilner wrote that after reviewing the request, responses, and replies, an interim injunction was warranted barring any further transfers until a subsequent decision is issued.

Yesh Atid officials said the interim order does not go far enough and signaled their intention to seek an expanded remedy that would require chareidi teachers to return funds already disbursed earlier in the day, before the injunction took effect.

Shas responded with an especially harsh statement, accusing the High Court of “antisemitic persecution” and likening it to “a reckless driver barreling through a crowded highway, ruthlessly running over the chareidi public.” The party charged that the ruling robs children of their basic sustenance, undermines Torah study, and harms the education of tens of thousands of students. Declaring that “there are no judges in Yerushalayim, only a dangerous group of arsonists,” Shas called on Jews worldwide to raise their voices in protest, vowing that the chareidi public would stand firm against what it described as malicious and unprecedented decisions.

{Matzav.com}

BREAKING: U.S. forces strike another 2 alleged drug boats, killing 5 narco-terrorists, Pentagon says

ox’s Bret Baier reports a U.S. intelligence assessment today from CIA Director John Ratcliffe noting that Ukraine did NOT attack Russian President Vladimir Putin’s residence as he falsely claimed to President Trump earlier this week

Dashcam footage shows a semi-truck sliding off I-469 in Fort Wayne, Indiana, vaulting over the highway divider and narrowly avoiding oncoming traffic.

Eric Swalwell says that if elected governor of California, he would seek to have federal agents charged with “kidnapping” and “assault” and aims to revoke their driver’s licenses.

Oklahoma Highway Patrol trooper had to use a PIT maneuver to safely stop a drowsy driver on the road.

Somali-owned daycare in Minneapolis claims they were burglarized and says thieves made off with all of their documentation.

New Years Eve from the tallest building in the world, the Burj Khalifa in Dubai.

MAZEL TOV! The first baby born in Israel in 2026 was born at Hadassah Mount Scopus hospital at 12:01 A.M. The parents, Shira Leah and Uri Rosen from the Dolav settlement welcomed their son in the very first minute of the new year, pictured here with the midwives at the hospital.

Palestinian Authority security forces intervened this week to extract a 22-year-old Jewish Israeli woman who was found wandering inside the Palestinian city of Yericho, an area where Israelis are legally barred from entering, Israeli officials confirmed. A spokesperson for the Defense Ministry’s Civil Administration told The Times of Israel that Israeli authorities contacted Palestinian Authority […]

American intelligence agencies have concluded that Russia’s assertion of a Ukrainian attempt to assassinate President Vladimir Putin with a large-scale drone attack is unfounded, contradicting statements Moscow made earlier this week.

Officials briefed on the matter told the Wall Street Journal that there is no evidence supporting the allegation that Ukraine targeted one of Putin’s residences. A CIA assessment reached the same conclusion, determining that Kyiv did not attempt to strike Putin’s home in Russia’s northwest Novgorod region.

According to a US official, Ukrainian forces were aiming at a military site that had been targeted in the past and is located in the same broader area as Putin’s country residence, but not anywhere near the property itself.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky publicly rejected the accusation, calling it a “complete fabrication” on Monday, as Western security officials dismissed the claim as baseless.

A source familiar with internal discussions said CIA Director John Ratcliffe briefed President Trump on Wednesday about the alleged incident. Later that day, Trump shared a link to a New York Post editorial suggesting that Putin may have fabricated the story to disrupt ongoing peace efforts.

Russia’s foreign minister, Sergey Lavrov, claimed that air defenses intercepted all 91 drones involved in the supposed attack and said there were no reports of injuries or damage.

Trump told reporters on Monday that Putin had “told me about” the alleged drone assault during a phone call that took place after Trump met with Zelensky at Mar-a-Lago. Trump criticized Ukraine over the reported incident while recounting the conversation.

“This is not the right time,” Trump said of the alleged drone incursion. “It’s one thing to be offensive, it’s another thing to attack his house. I was very angry about it.”

At the same time, the president acknowledged uncertainty surrounding the Russian account, saying it was “ possible” Putin was lying about drones being directed at his home.

{Matzav.com}

When Zohran Mamdani takes office at midnight on Jan. 1, he will become the first mayor of New York City to be sworn in on a Quran, according to city officials.

The initial oath will be administered in a private ceremony shortly after midnight at the long-abandoned Old City Hall subway station. State Attorney General Letitia James will conduct that swearing-in, while Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders is scheduled to administer the oath again later in the day during public festivities.

Mamdani plans to use multiple copies of Islam’s holy book during the ceremonies. His spokesperson said the mayor-elect will rely on at least three Qurans across the private and public events.

Among them will be a Quran that belonged to his grandfather, along with another tied to the legacy of writer and historian Arturo Schomburg. That volume is being lent for the occasion by the New York Public Library and will be used during the midnight ceremony.

For the daytime swearing-in outside City Hall, Mamdani will again place his hand on his grandfather’s Quran, along with at least one additional family copy. The New York Times first reported the details, which were later confirmed by Mamdani’s representative.

Mamdani, who will be the first Muslim to lead City Hall, has spoken openly about faith and identity during his campaign. In October, after drawing criticism for appearing in a photograph with a controversial imam, he addressed the issue directly.

“The dream of every Muslim is simply to be treated as any other New Yorker, and yet for too long we have been told to ask for less than that and to be satisfied with whatever little we receive,” the progressive said at the time.

The use of the Schomburg Quran carries additional historical weight. Although Schomburg himself was not Muslim, the text was part of his extensive collection documenting Black history and culture. Born in Puerto Rico in 1874 and later settling in Harlem, Schomburg became a leading figure in promoting African American scholarship and research, according to the New York Public Library.

The selection of that Quran was made by senior advisor Zara Rahim and Mamdani’s wife, Rama Duwaji, working with Hiba Abid, the NYPL’s curator for Middle Eastern and Islamic Studies, the Times reported.

“It’s a highly symbolic choice because we’re about to have a Muslim mayor swearing in using the Quran but also a mayor who was born on the African continent, in Uganda,” Abid said.
“It really brings together here elements of faith, identity and New York history.”

Recent New York City mayors have frequently chosen religious texts with personal or historical significance for their inaugurations. Eric Adams, who served one term after withdrawing from his re-election bid, was sworn in on a family Bible in 2022 while holding a portrait of his late mother as the New Year’s Eve ball dropped in Times Square.

Bill de Blasio, when beginning his first term in 2014, selected a Bible once owned by President Franklin D. Roosevelt. That historic volume briefly went missing after the ceremony, prompting concern before it was eventually recovered.

Michael Bloomberg, sworn in during the months following the Sept. 11, 2001 terror attacks, placed his hand on the same Jewish Bible he had used at his bar mitzvah, according to a 2002 report.

At the federal level, former House Rep. Keith Ellison of Minnesota made history in 2007 as the first lawmaker to use a Quran during a congressional swearing-in, a precedent that Mamdani’s inauguration will now echo on the city stage.

{Matzav.com}

Israel’s justice minister, Yariv Levin, on Wednesday sharply criticized a High Court interim order freezing roughly NIS 1 billion in government funding earmarked for chareidi education, calling on chareidi lawmakers to take immediate steps against the judiciary.

Earlier in the day, Yael Wilner issued an interim injunction halting the transfer of funds to chareidi educational institutions. The decision sparked furious reactions from chareidi members of Knesset, with Levin later joining the condemnation.

“I am joining the protests of my United Torah Judaism colleagues over the High Court’s decision regarding chareidi educational institutions,” Levin wrote in a public post. He urged lawmakers not to stop at statements alone, but to announce their immediate support for advancing a series of judicial reform bills that, he said, have been stalled in the Knesset for months.

“This is the best response to the deliberate harm being inflicted on the chareidi public,” Levin concluded.

Following the High Court’s move, the Yesh Atid party said it would not be satisfied with the interim injunction alone and plans to demand an expanded remedy. According to the party, the court should require chareidi teachers to return funds already received earlier in the day, since part of the frozen allocation had reportedly been transferred before the injunction took effect.

The chairman of Degel HaTorah, MK Moshe Gafni, responded with unusually harsh language, declaring that “the court has declared war on the chareidi public and on Torah institutions.” He accused the justices of intentionally harming educators’ livelihoods and damaging the entire system, vowing, “We will do everything to restore the situation to what it was.”

Shas likewise denounced the ruling, branding it “antisemitic harassment.” In a statement, the party said the High Court was “rampaging like a reckless driver on a crowded road, brutally and unprecedentedly running over the chareidi public — from robbing young children of their daily bread to undermining Torah study and the education of tens of thousands of students.”

“There are no judges in Yerushalayim, only a dangerous group of arsonists,” the statement continued, accusing the court of taking the chareidi community “hostage” in a desperate effort to preserve its waning power. Shas called on Jews worldwide to raise an outcry against what it termed “this antisemitic persecution,” adding that “the chareidi public will stand firm, like an impenetrable wall, against these malicious decisions.”

{Matzav.com}

IDF Central Command chief Avi Bluth warned Tuesday that forces must remain prepared for the possibility of a sudden outbreak of war. “The baseline scenario we must prepare for is readiness for a surprise war,” Bluth said at the conclusion of a surprise inspection of units in the West Bank, according to an IDF statement. […]

Amid renewed diplomatic maneuvering to halt the war, President Trump reacted sharply to claims relayed to him by Vladimir Putin that a Ukrainian drone operation had targeted the Russian leader’s residence. Speaking to reporters, Trump said he was upset by the allegation and stressed the sensitivity of the moment.

“I don’t like it; it’s not good. I heard about it this morning. You know who told me about it? President Putin told me about it,” Trump told reporters Monday, when asked about the strike. “Early in the morning, he said he was attacked. That’s no good. It’s no good.”

He continued by underscoring the stakes surrounding ongoing talks. “It’s a delicate period of time. This is not the right time,” he added, likely referring to ongoing peace negotiations between Russia and Ukraine. “It’s one thing to be offensive, because [Russia is] offensive, it’s another thing to attack [Putin’s] house. It’s not the right time to do any of that. … I was very angry about it.”

Pressed on whether there was proof of the alleged strike, Trump left the question open. “Well, we’ll find out. You’re saying maybe the attack didn’t take place? That’s possible, I guess, but President Putin told me this morning.”

The comments followed a phone call between Trump and Putin that came one day after Trump met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky at Mar-a-Lago in Palm Beach, Fla., where the two discussed the latest draft framework for ending the conflict.

Earlier, Moscow escalated its rhetoric. Dmitry Medvedev, Russia’s former president and now a senior figure on the country’s security council, issued a stark message aimed at Zelensky in a post on X, accusing him of sabotaging efforts to resolve the war.

“He wants war,” Medvedev continued, referring to Zelensky. “Well, now at least he’ll have to stay in hiding for the rest of his worthless life.”

Russian officials have asserted that Ukraine attempted to strike Putin’s northern residence using a large swarm of long-range drones, an allegation Kyiv flatly denies. Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said Russia’s negotiating posture was being reassessed in light of what he described as an overnight launch of 91 drones toward the area.

According to Lavrov, Russian air defenses intercepted every drone, and the incident resulted in no injuries or damage.

Ukrainian Foreign Affairs Minister Andrii Sybiha dismissed the claim as fiction, saying Moscow has failed to substantiate it. Writing on X early Tuesday, he said Russia has offered no proof and will not be able to do so, adding, “And they won’t. because there’s none. No such attack happened.”

Sybiha went further, pointing to what he described as a pattern in Moscow’s conduct. “Russia has a long record of false claims — it’s their signature tactic. For instance, Russia claimed it wouldn’t attack Ukraine in the beginning of 2022,” he continued. “They also often accuse others of what they themselves plan to do. Their words should never be taken at face value.”

Even as U.S.-brokered talks continue, Russia has kept up its bombardment of Kyiv, fueling skepticism about Moscow’s intentions. Trump has said he believes Putin wants peace, despite the continued strikes.

{Matzav.com}

The U.S. on Wednesday imposed sanctions on four firms operating in Venezuela’s oil sector and designated four additional oil tankers, which the U.S. accuses of being part of a shadow fleet serving Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro’s government, as blocked property. The action is part of the Trump administration’s monthslong pressure campaign on Maduro. U.S. forces […]

[COMMUNICATED]

Shabbos Vayechi highlights an important and often overlooked message. As we read about Yaakov Avinu preparing for the end of his life and giving clear instructions regarding his kevurah, we are reminded that planning ahead is not only responsible but deeply rooted in Torah values.

Yet for many, end-of-life planning is postponed indefinitely. Even in the frum community, many are unaware of the practical and halachic details that can significantly affect kavod hameis and a family’s peace of mind. When these matters are addressed thoughtfully in advance, families avoid unnecessary stress and uncertainty during already difficult moments.

To help the community gain the clarity they need, NASCK is offering two free live workshops over Shabbos Vayechi weekend, presented by Rabbi Elchonon Zohn and followed by audience Q&A. Rabbi Zohn, a highly acclaimed expert in afterlife care, is widely respected for his deep knowledge and decades of practical experience advising rabbonim, chevros kadisha, and crisis-response organizations.

The Kevurah K’Halacha Workshop will address questions that rarely get discussed—questions many people don’t even realize they should be asking. These include what to consider when choosing a burial plot, how to evaluate Jewish cemeteries, whether kevurah in Eretz Yisrael is appropriate for one’s family, and other essential details. The workshop aims to give participants the clarity and confidence to make responsible, informed decisions for themselves and their family members.

The Cremation Crisis Workshop confronts an increasingly urgent issue: the rapid rise of cremation in the American Jewish community. Today, approximately half of American Jews who pass away are cremated—about 30,000 Jews each year. The likelihood is that someone in your extended circle—perhaps a coworker, neighbor, cousin, or old friend—is planning to be cremated. NASCK receives heartbreaking calls almost daily from individuals who discover too late that a loved one had arranged for cremation. In most cases, this choice stems not from ideology but from societal trends and a lack of early guidance.

In this workshop, you will learn why cremation is a profound tragedy for the neshamah and for Klal Yisrael, what is driving this growing trend, and how proactive, sensitive conversations can prevent someone you know from being cremated.

As we learn from Yaakov Avinu, the time to act is before a crisis. These workshops offer a meaningful opportunity to ensure proper kevurah—for you, for your family, and for every Jew.

Registration for both workshops is free HERE!

This tzedakah is for one family living in deep and painful financial distress. A mother and father doing everything they can, yet buried under crushing debt with no way out. They have children to care for — children who rely on them for food, clothing, schooling, and stability — while the weight of unpaid bills, […]

Beginning Thursday, residents in a handful of states who rely on federal assistance to buy groceries will face new limits on what they can put in their carts, with soda, candy, and other products newly off-limits under updated rules.

The changes apply first in Indiana, Iowa, Nebraska, Utah, and West Virginia, which are the earliest adopters of state waivers restricting purchases through the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP. At least 18 states are expected to follow with similar requests.

Federal officials backing the shift say the goal is to steer the $100 billion nutrition program toward healthier outcomes. The initiative has been championed by Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins, who have urged states to remove foods they consider harmful from eligibility under a program that serves roughly 42 million people nationwide.

“We cannot continue a system that forces taxpayers to fund programs that make people sick and then pay a second time to treat the illnesses those very programs help create,” Kennedy said in a statement in December.

Supporters of the waivers say cutting back on sugary drinks and snack foods could help curb chronic conditions such as obesity and diabetes, priorities tied to Kennedy’s Make America Healthy Again campaign.

Retailers and health policy specialists, however, warn that the rollout is happening faster than stores and states can realistically handle. They say SNAP systems are already strained by funding cuts, and many states have not issued clear or comprehensive lists of which items are banned. Technical hurdles at checkout counters also vary widely by retailer and location. Researchers are also divided on whether limiting SNAP purchases meaningfully improves nutrition or long-term health.

The National Retail Federation has cautioned that shoppers should expect longer lines and more confusion at registers as customers and cashiers navigate the new rules.

A standard notice accompanying coverage of the changes states that readers who register agree to applicable terms and privacy policies and may receive communications and advertising from affiliated media companies.

“It’s a disaster waiting to happen of people trying to buy food and being rejected,” said Kate Bauer, a nutrition science expert at the University of Michigan.

Industry groups say the costs could be substantial. A report from the National Grocers Association and allied trade organizations estimated that retailers would spend about $1.6 billion upfront to implement the restrictions, followed by roughly $759 million in additional annual expenses.

“Punishing SNAP recipients means we all get to pay more at the grocery store,” said Gina Plata-Nino, SNAP director for the anti-hunger advocacy group Food Research & Action Center.

The policy marks a sharp break from decades of federal practice. SNAP was created in 1964 and later governed by the Food and Nutrition Act of 2008, which allows benefits to be used for “any food or food product intended for human consumption,” with limited exceptions such as alcohol, tobacco, and hot prepared foods. Over the years, proposals to bar purchases like steak, chips, or ice cream have repeatedly failed.

Those earlier efforts were turned down after USDA research found that restrictions would be expensive to administer, difficult to enforce, and unlikely to significantly alter buying habits or reduce health problems like obesity.

Under the second Trump administration, states have been encouraged — and in some cases incentivized — to revisit the idea. This time, several moved quickly.

“This isn’t the usual top-down, one-size-fits-all public health agenda,” Indiana Gov. Mike Braun said when announcing his state’s waiver request last spring. “We’re focused on root causes, transparent information and real results.”

Collectively, the five waivers taking effect Jan. 1 affect about 1.4 million people. Utah and West Virginia will block SNAP purchases of soda and soft drinks, Nebraska will ban soda and energy drinks, Indiana will restrict soft drinks and candy, and Iowa has adopted the broadest limits so far. Iowa’s rules cover taxable foods like soda and candy as well as certain prepared items.

“The items list does not provide enough specific information to prepare a SNAP participant to go to the grocery store,” Plata-Nino wrote in a blog post. “Many additional items — including certain prepared foods — will also be disallowed, even though they are not clearly identified in the notice to households.”

For recipients like Marc Craig, 47, of Des Moines, the changes feel personal. Craig, who said he has been living out of his car since October, relies on $298 a month in SNAP benefits. He worries the new rules will make it harder to budget and will intensify the embarrassment he already feels at checkout counters.

“They treat people that get food stamps like we’re not people,” Craig said.

According to the Agriculture Department, the waivers approved now and in the coming months will remain in place for two years, with the option for states to extend them for up to three more. Each participating state must evaluate how the restrictions affect participants and outcomes.

Public health experts caution that the policy may miss the bigger picture. Anand Parekh, chief health policy officer at the University of Michigan School of Public Health, said focusing solely on SNAP ignores broader structural problems.

“This doesn’t solve the two fundamental problems, which is healthy food in this country is not affordable and unhealthy food is cheap and ubiquitous,” he said.

{Matzav.com}

President Trump said Wednesday that National Guard troops will be pulled out of three major cities where they had been stationed to help deter crime and support federal immigration enforcement.

The announcement came days after the Supreme Court declined to intervene in the administration’s effort to overturn a lower court ruling that blocked the deployment of roughly 300 National Guard troops to Chicago to protect Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents.

The administration had argued that the deployment was justified under a federal statute allowing the president to assume control of the National Guard when he determines that the law cannot be carried out using “regular forces.”

Despite the legal setback, Trump insisted that the Guard’s presence had already made a dramatic difference in the cities where troops were sent. In a post on Truth Social, he wrote, “We are removing the National Guard from Chicago, Los Angeles, and Portland, despite the fact that CRIME has been greatly reduced by having these great Patriots in those cities, and ONLY by that fact.”

The president went on to argue that federal intervention had prevented a complete breakdown of public safety in those areas. “Portland, Los Angeles, and Chicago were GONE if it weren’t for the Federal Government stepping in,” he wrote. “We will come back, perhaps in a much different and stronger form, when crime begins to soar again – Only a question of time!”

Trump also sharply criticized local leadership in the affected cities, expressing disbelief that officials would oppose the continued presence of federal forces. “It is hard to believe that these Democrat Mayors and Governors, all of whom are greatly incompetent, would want us to leave, especially considering the great progress that has been made???”

{Matzav.com}