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IDF forces are operating across the Gaza Strip, striking over 50 terrorist targets in the last 24 hours.

Former Hamas hostage Agam Berger and her mother, Meirav, davened today at the Ohel of the Lubavitcher Rebbe

At the biggest jewelry center in the United States, Alberto Hernandez fired up his machine on a recent day and waited until it glowed bright orange inside before shoveling in an assortment of rings, earrings and necklaces weighing about as much as a bar of soap: just under 100 grams, or 3.2 troy ounces. Minutes later, the bubbling liquid metal was cooling in a rectangular cast the size of a woman’s shoe. An X-ray machine determined it was 56.5% gold, making it worth $177,000 based on the price of gold that day. As gold prices soar to record highs during global economic jitters, hundreds of thousands of dollars’ worth of gold are circulating through the doors of St. Vincent Jewelry Center in downtown Los Angeles on any given day. Many of the center’s 500 independent tenants, which include jewelers, gold refiners and assayers, say they have never seen such a surge in customers. “Right now, we’re seeing a lot of rappers and stuff melting their big pieces,” said Alberto’s nephew, Sabashden Hernandez, who works at A&M Precious Metals. “We’re getting a lot of new customers who are just getting all of their grandfather’s stuff, melting it down pretty much.” Gold’s current rally comes as President Donald Trump issues ever-changing announcements on tariffs, roiling financial markets and threatening to reignite inflation. In response, people across the country are flocking to sell or melt down their old jewelry for quick cash, including middlemen like pawn shop owners. Others, thinking their money might be safer in gold than in the volatile stock market, are snapping it up just as fast. Los Angeles jeweler Olivia Kazanjian said people are even bringing in family heirlooms. “They’re melting things with their family’s wedding dates and things from the 1800s,” Kazanjian said. She recently paid a client for a 14-karat gold woven bracelet with intricate blue enamel work that could be turned into a brooch. The customer walked away with $3,200 for the amount of gold contained in the piece measured in troy ounces, the standard for precious metals equivalent to 31 grams. But Kazanjian doesn’t plan to melt the piece. The real artistic and historical value was a lot more, she said. “It’s just stunning … and you won’t see that kind of craftsmanship again,” Kazanjian said, adding she has persuaded some customers to change their minds about melting items. “It’s a piece of history, and if you’re lucky enough to inherit it, it’s a piece of your family.” Businesses on the sales side of the action, offering gold bars and other material, also are working hard to keep up with the frenzy. “Stuff comes in and it goes right out,” said Edwin Feijoo, who owns Stefko Cash for Gold in Pennsylvania and receives shipments from customers across the U.S. looking to sell their gold. “Everybody’s busy right now.” Business hasn’t been good for everyone, though. For some jewelers who source their products from places abroad like Italy, Turkey and China, the combination of high gold prices and added tariffs have cut into profit margins and hurt demand. “Our profit margins are so razor thin here,” said Puzant Berberian, whose family founded V&P Jewelry inside St. Vincent in 1983. Berberian said he recently paid an extra $16,000 on a package from overseas. Customers also are feeling […]

A historic project is underway to rebuild the only mikvah taharah in Meron—serving every group in Klal Yisroel, in one of the holiest places on earth. Of all places, you wouldn’t expect this.  In Meron, the most visited Jewish site in the world, the only mikvah taharah has fallen into deep disrepair and is unfit for use.  Each year, over a million people pour in, drawn by the kedusha of Reb Shimon. And yet, just steps away, the only mikvah taharah stands in deep disrepair—its doors closed to those who need it most. Surrounding Meron are thousands of families in Moshav Meron and nearby communities, some of whom have no other mikvah at all. Beyond the locals, tens of thousands of women from every part of Klal Yisroel—Chassidish, Litvish, Sefardic, traditional, and secular—come hoping to fulfill this holy mitzvah. Every night, tens, if not hundreds, of women hope to fulfill a mitzvah that has sustained Klal Yisroel for generations. But with the mikvah unusable, many cannot.  And tragically, for women not-yet fully observant, no local mikvah often means no taharah at all. For the thousands living there and tens of thousands more who visit each year, a usable, welcoming mikvah is not a luxury—it’s a lifeline.  This can no longer wait. This must be done. Now, in an urgent and unprecedented initiative, Merkaz L’Taharas HaMishpacha is rebuilding Mikvah Taharah Meron from the ground up—under the direction of leading poskim, with the goal of completion within just three months. The new mikvah will serve: * The 1,000 residents of Moshav Meron * Thousands more in surrounding yishuvim (who have no local mikvah) * Over one million visitors annually  And unlike any other mikvah in Eretz Yisroel, Mikvah Meron will serve the full spectrum of Klal Yisroel—from the most connected to the most distant. The leaders of purity, the builders of worlds.  This is not a first.  Merkaz L’Taharas HaMishpacha has been preserving purity for over 83 years. Since 1942, the organization has restored or built more than 1,100 mikvaos across Israel. In community after community, mikvah usage doubles and even triples after a proper facility is built. This is how taharah becomes accessible and lasting. Supported by Gedolei Yisroel throughout the generations, Merkaz’s work is guided by halachah and powered by those who understand that kedushah is the bedrock of our people. As we prepare for Lag BaOmer, the urgency couldn’t be greater.  This is Meron. This is Reb Shimon. This is the one and only mikvah taharah near the tzion of Rashbi. And this is your chance to help build it. “Rashbi gave his very life for the purity of Am Yisrael. His merit will stand for anyone who strengthens the purity of our people in his place—to be bentched with yeshua and rachamim.” —Rachmastrivka Rebbe Shlit”a “Reb Shimon never leaves a debt unpaid. It is a tremendous zechus to become a partner in the purity of Am Yisrael, especially in the place of such a tzaddik.” —Hagaon Hatzadik Harav Shimon Galei Shlit”a “Surely his zechus will stand for all who help build this mikvah—they will see bracha, hatzlacha, and shefa in everything they do, because this is truly one of the greatest mitzvos.” —Maran Rosh HaYeshiva Rav Moshe Hillel Hirsch Shlit”a Can there be a greater mitzvah, in a […]

At a drone show in Toronto, drones displayed messages for the 59 men and women still held hostage in Gaza.

The body of Zvi Feldman hy”d, whose body was recovered 43 years after being killed in Syria, returns to Israel for kevurah.

In a new statement, President Trump calls for Ukraineand Russia to meet for peace talks without delay.

The wreckage of an Indian Su-30MKI fighter jet, likely shot down by the Pakistan Air Force, has been located in Akhnoor, India.

Sec. Scott Bessent: There has been a “great deal of productivity” in trade talks with China: “We will be giving details tomorrow, but I can tell you that the talks were productive.”

US Trade Rep.: “The U.S. has a massive $1.2 trillion trade deficit, so the President declared a national emergency … We’re confident that the deal we struck with our Chinese partners will help us work toward resolving that national emergency.”

New information has come to light about the daring and secretive mission that led to the recovery of the body of Sgt. Maj. Tzvi (Tzvika) Feldman, an IDF officer who was killed during the 1982 Battle of Sultan Yacoub in the First Lebanon War and listed as missing in action for over four decades.

The complex and dangerous operation was conducted by Mossad, working hand in hand with IDF Military Intelligence. The mission required covert penetration deep inside Syrian territory. It was commanded by Lieutenant Colonel Y., a retired officer who returned to active duty solely to oversee this delicate and high-stakes assignment.

The mission unfolded far beyond Israel’s borders, in a cemetery situated in an area that was once under the control of Bashar al-Assad’s regime. Mossad operatives faced extreme danger on the ground, navigating through armed hostiles and active gunfire before reaching the grave where Feldman was buried.

After five months of intensive investigative work, intelligence officials discovered a narrow window of opportunity to act. A foreign team was the first to access the site and remove the remains. They delivered a DNA sample to Israel, where testing confirmed that the remains belonged to Sgt. Maj. Feldman. Only after this confirmation was the full body recovered and returned.

Feldman was one of the soldiers lost in the brutal confrontation at Sultan Yacoub, a battle that claimed the lives of 21 IDF troops and left many others wounded. The final identification of his remains was made at the Genomic Center for the Identification of Fallen Soldiers, under the direction of the IDF Military Rabbinate.

His levayah is set to take place on Monday in Cholon.

This mission represents a deeply emotional achievement for Israel, following the 2019 recovery of Sergeant Zechariah Baumel through a similarly sophisticated intelligence effort. The IDF noted that the family of Yehuda Katz, another soldier missing from the same battle, has been briefed, and the search to bring him home is ongoing.

{Matzav.com Israel}

An NBC News report highlights growing friction between President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Bibi Netanyahu regarding their diverging strategies on Gaza and Iran.

While Trump and Netanyahu originally appeared to be in sync in their stance toward Hamas and the Iranian threat, their positions have begun to shift apart. Trump had initially authorized the flow of weapons to Israel and gave his backing to the military campaign. However, sources say he now favors a ceasefire and is promoting a vision to transform Gaza into a “Riviera of the Middle East.”

According to individuals familiar with the situation, Trump has conveyed privately that Israel’s renewed military campaign in Gaza is counterproductive, arguing that it will ultimately complicate any serious plans for post-war recovery. The article cites unnamed American and regional officials who describe Netanyahu as increasingly focused on preparing for possible strikes on Iran’s nuclear infrastructure, while Trump is pushing for negotiations to block Iran from developing nuclear arms. Netanyahu is reportedly unhappy about Trump’s comments indicating he has not yet made a final decision on allowing Iran any level of uranium enrichment in a potential agreement.

The report also reveals that Netanyahu was surprised by Trump’s move to halt U.S. military engagement against the Houthi rebels in Yemen, even after the Houthis launched attacks against Israel. Netanyahu had anticipated a firmer show of American military support during his most recent meeting at the White House.

Trump, according to insiders, has expressed disappointment with Israel’s resumed offensive in Gaza, warning that it could derail any meaningful reconstruction efforts. Meanwhile, Senators Tom Cotton and Lindsey Graham are urging that any future agreement with Iran be subjected to Senate approval and completely prohibit any Iranian uranium enrichment.

Despite these differences, a White House official told NBC News that Trump is unwavering in his aim to block Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons and continues to back Israel’s mission to secure the release of hostages from Gaza.

In another significant diplomatic shift, reports suggest that the United States is no longer requiring Saudi Arabia to normalize ties with Israel as a prerequisite for advancing nuclear cooperation. This change in approach is taking place as Trump prepares for a high-level visit to the Saudi kingdom.

Arabic-language sources further report that Trump is expected to hold talks in Saudi Arabia with Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas and Syrian President Abu Mohammad al-Julani. The invitation for such a meeting reportedly originated from Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, who is aiming to gain U.S. approval for the establishment of a Palestinian state.

{Matzav.com}

Before they can name their next presidential nominee, Democrats will have to decide which state will weigh in first. In 2022, President Joe Biden forced a shake-up of the 2024 election calendar, moving South Carolina’s primary ahead of contests in Iowa, New Hampshire and Nevada. Officials in those traditionally four early-voting states are now positioning themselves to get top billing nearly two years before the Democratic National Committee solidifies the order. Others may make a play, too. It’s a fraught choice for a party already wrestling with questions about its direction after losing November’s White House election to Republican Donald Trump. Each state offers advantages to different candidates and elevates — or diminishes — different parts of the Democratic base. For now, 2028 prospects are making early-state visits, giving a glimpse into what they may see as their own path to the nomination. Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker was the keynote speaker at a dinner last month for New Hampshire Democrats, visiting a majority white state known for its engaged electorate and independent streak. Maryland Gov. Wes Moore, the state’s first Black governor, will appear later this month at a similar party event in South Carolina, where Black voters are the party’s most influential voting group. Pete Buttigieg will join a VoteVets Action Fund gathering in Iowa on Tuesday, marking the former presidential candidate’s first public in-person event since leaving his post as Biden’s transportation secretary. Buttigieg performed well in the 2020 caucuses, which were marred by technical glitches that prevented the declaration of a winner. Iowa looks past snub for ‘fair’ shot in 2028 Biden and others pushed to open the 2024 cycle with a more diverse state than traditional leadoff Iowa, which is 90% white, according to census data. Gone was a five-decade institution of Iowa Democrats engaging in a one-night spectacle where community members publicly signaled their support for a candidate. Last year, they held caucuses eight days before any other state’s contest, as is required by Iowa law. But Democratic voters had cast their 2024 presidential preference ballots by mail, with results released that March on Super Tuesday alongside other states. Biden “picked the calendar that worked for him,” said Scott Brennan, who serves on the DNC’s Rules and Bylaws Committee and previously chaired the Iowa Democratic Party. “When you’re the president, you can do those things. But I don’t know that people in Iowa thought it was very fair.” For now, Iowa Democratic leaders emphasize that their focus is on the 2026 election, when two of Iowa’s four congressional districts will be competitive opportunities to unseat Republicans. Democrats have recently struggled on all electoral fronts in Iowa and have significantly diminished party registration numbers, which some blamed on the loss of the caucuses. But Brennan said many Iowa Democrats continue to believe that the presidential nominating process is well served by Iowa’s early role in it, even if the 2028 format is up in the air. “We took everyone at their word that all bets are off for 2028,” Brennan said. “We expect that there will be a fair process and that we will be given every consideration to be an early state.” Former U.S. Rep. Dave Nagle was more blunt in proposing that the state party commit to first-in-the-nation status regardless, as he did as chair in 1984 when the national party threatened to upend Iowa and New Hampshire’s delegate selection […]

Close to 80 flights were scrapped and over 40 others delayed at Newark Liberty International Airport today after another technical failure struck the airport’s operations, adding to recent disruption at the busy tri-state area travel center.

The Federal Aviation Administration imposed a ground stop lasting 45 minutes in the morning hours, according to information provided to WABC by officials. The disruption was linked to a problem at the air traffic control center serving Newark.

This latest mishap followed a separate radar issue on Friday that also forced a temporary shutdown of operations at the airport.

Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy announced on NBC’s “Meet the Press” that flight volume at Newark would be scaled back for “the next several weeks,” citing ongoing issues stemming from a critical shortage of air traffic personnel.

“We want to have a number of flights that if you book your flight, you know it’s going to fly, right?” he said.

Duffy mentioned that a summit is scheduled for this week involving all airlines that operate from Newark Liberty to finalize how many flights will be trimmed from the schedule.

United Airlines accounts for three-quarters of all traffic passing through the airport, making it the primary carrier affected by the changes.

{Matzav.com}

Statements that Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu said during a closed-door discussion in the Knesset’s Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee on Sunday were leaked to the press. “The law that the committee decides on is the law that will be,” he said. “Within two years, we’ll draft 10,500 Chareidi recruits. This is the number that the army can absorb.” “We will also implement heavy personal sanctions against individuals and institutions. At the same time, we will ensure that whoever enters Chareidi – leaves Charedi.” Netanyahu also denied recent reports of tensions between Israel and the Trump administration, saying:  “I speak with Trump every few days – at least once every two weeks. They have their interests, but we are working together.” “There are no gaps between us and the Americans. [Strategic Affairs Ron] Dermer is there every few days, and all the talk about gaps between us and the Americans regarding Iran or the Houthis is a campaign that comes from a certain channel, guess which one? It’s all in the media.” (YWN Israel Desk – Jerusalem)

In a highly unusual diplomatic move, the royal family of Qatar is preparing to give the United States a Boeing 747-8 aircraft, which will temporarily be used as Air Force One for President Donald Trump, according to ABC News.

Sources speaking to ABC News revealed that this luxury jet—often referred to as a “flying palace”—will be officially presented to Trump during his upcoming trip to Qatar. The jet will then be transferred to the U.S. Air Force, outfitted with the necessary upgrades for presidential travel, and eventually donated to the Trump Presidential Library Foundation prior to the end of his term.

Legal experts from both the White House and the Department of Justice have reportedly determined that the acceptance of the plane complies with American law, including the Constitution’s emoluments clause, as long as it is not linked to any specific governmental action.

The aircraft is estimated to be worth about $400 million in its current condition, though it will undergo extensive modifications to align with Air Force One specifications. These upgrades will be paid for by the U.S. military. Both Attorney General Pam Bondi and White House Counsel David Warrington are said to have reviewed and approved the legality of the deal.

News of this extraordinary gift surfaces amid apparent growing tensions between President Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. NBC News reported that while the two leaders once had a unified stance against threats from Hamas and Iran, they’ve recently diverged in their strategies. The report also highlighted differences in opinion regarding U.S. negotiations with Iran over its nuclear program and Trump’s decision to end military actions against Houthi forces in Yemen.

Qatar is widely viewed as unfriendly toward Israel and maintains ties with several of Israel’s adversaries. This includes groups with whom the Trump administration has recently adopted a less confrontational posture, such as the Houthis and Iran.

{Matzav.com}

The fire that caused significant damage in April to historic buildings in Suriname’s capital city was not the only threat facing the nearby Neveh Shalom Synagogue. As firefighters battled to save the historic city center of Paramaribo — a UNESCO World Heritage site — the synagogue’s volunteers were busy scanning thousands of archival documents in an effort to preserve the history of the thousands of Jews who have called the Surinamese capital home since the 1700s. The blaze was contained before reaching the synagogue, but at the mercy of other threats, including the tropical climate, insects and time, it was a reminder of how fragile the 100,000 historic documents, kept on pages stored in filing cabinets for decades, were and how vital the preservation project was. The operation to digitize the birth records, land sales and correspondence has been overseen by Dutch academic Rosa de Jong, who had used the archive as part of a PhD study on how Jewish refugees fled the horrors of World War II to the Caribbean, including the tiny South American country of Suriname. “I felt that my work comes with an obligation to preserve the past that I’m building my career on,” De Jong told The Associated Press. When she finished her academic research, at the University of Amsterdam, last year, De Jong saw an opportunity to return to Suriname and safeguard the files that had been crucial to her work. She raised the financing for cameras, hard drives and travel expenses and returned to Suriname with the aim of making high-quality scans of the hundreds of folios held by the synagogue. The result is more than 600 gigabytes of data stored on multiple hard drives. One will be donated to the National Archives of Suriname to be included in their digital collections. The archived documents show how Suriname was a hub of Jewish life for the Americas. The British who colonized the region gave Jews political and religious autonomy when they first moved to Suriname in 1639 to manage tobacco and sugar cane plantations. When the Dutch took control of the colony, they continued this practice. When Jewish people were forced out of other places in the Americas, they often fled to Suriname. In 1942, more than 100 Dutch Jewish refugees, fleeing the horrors of the Holocaust, arrived in Paramaribo. Liny Pajgin Yollick, then 18, was among them. In an oral history project for the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, she described the relief she felt when she arrived in Suriname to the sound of a familiar song. “I remember it was morning and they played Dutch National Anthem for us when we arrived, and everybody was crying. We were very emotional when we heard that because many of us never thought we would ever hear it again,” she said. When the Netherlands was freed from Nazi German occupation three years later, Teroenga, the magazine published for the Jewish congregations in Suriname, ran with the headline “Bevrijding” (“Liberation”). The archive at Neveh Shalom has a copy of every edition of Teroenga. Key to De Jong’s preservation project has been 78-year-old Lilly Duijm, who was responsible for the archive’s folders of documents for more than two decades. Born in Suriname, when she was 14 she moved to the Netherlands where she eventually became a […]

Rep. LaMonica Mclver said it was part of her job to push, shove and scream at law enforcement outside the ICE detention facility on Friday in an effort to get illegals released back onto New Jersey streets.

Sec. Sean Duffy shuts down reports of cutting FAA staff: “In the safety mission of the FAA like air traffic controllers, no one was cut. We actually have staffed up. We hired more air traffic controllers during this time.”

The IDF’s Nahal Brigade has been withdrawn from the West Bank after three months of operations, ahead of an upcoming major offensive in the Gaza Strip, the military says. “Now, the Nahal Brigade is preparing as part of the 162nd Division for additional missions in the Gaza Strip ahead of the expansion of the fighting in the Strip,” the army says