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Dear Editor,

There have been countless podcasts, articles, speeches, and discussions about the rising cost of frum living. There’s no denying it: living a frum life is expensive. Yes, there are many contributing factors, and everything from the shidduch crisis to basic capitalism has been blamed. But one thing is clear: if we, as a community, take real steps to reduce costs, then costs will come down.

I’d like to suggest a simple first step. Every shul should establish straightforward guidelines for making a kiddush, bar mitzvah, aufruf, or any similar event within the shul. For example: if you’re making a kiddush here, you choose from two or three preset tiers. Naturally, the Rav should speak with the membership to determine what is truly affordable, and the available options should reflect the financial reality of the shul’s families.

I can already hear the reactions: “But what about people who won’t make the kiddush in the shul?” And the answer is — you’re right. You can’t force anyone to do anything once they’re outside the shul. But if 90% of the membership follows the system, it’s absolutely worth it. And let’s be honest: many of the wealthier members would probably prefer preset options anyway. It gives them less to worry about, and it even provides a built-in excuse — “I would’ve done something fancier, but the Rav doesn’t allow it.”

This is not a massive national initiative that requires an Agudah convention session. We don’t need a new organization or a fundraising drive to make it happen (give your maaser to the tzedakah of your choice). All we need is for our rabbonim and our shul members to look around and finally say: enough is enough.

C.J.

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Dozens of Palestinians from the village of Arab Ar Rashayida attacked Jewish shepherds near the yishuv of Ma’ale Amos on Wednesday morning. The attackers threw stones, beat the Jews with clubs, and stole livestock from the Jewish herd. The severe incident is one of numerous recent incidents that go unreported, with left-wing media outlets reporting […]

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The Satmar Rebbe of Kiryas Yoel who is currently on a visit to Eretz Yisroel, visited the Sadigura Rebbe on Wednesday.

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A new wave of anger is sweeping through the 9/11 survivor and responder community after New York City acknowledged the existence of dozens of long-absent toxin-related records—files many say should have been available decades ago to protect first responders’ health.

The Uniformed Firefighters Association (UFA), which represents thousands of FDNY firefighters, sounded the alarm after learning that 68 boxes of documents tied to environmental hazards at Ground Zero had been located. Union leaders say the people who dug through the rubble, breathed the toxic dust, and developed illnesses deserve complete transparency, not confusion over missing paperwork.

City officials recently confirmed that these materials—once described as nonexistent—had indeed been found, sparking widespread concern about how such a trove could vanish for so long. The timing adds tension to an already strained system, as the World Trade Center Health Program is confronting a $3 billion budget gap that could begin limiting services by 2027. More than 92,000 responders and survivors rely on the program.

Attorney Michael Barasch, who represents tens of thousands of 9/11 victims, including the family of Detective James Zadroga, placed responsibility squarely on the city. “You do not find 68 boxes by accident,” Barasch said. “You either hid them or ignored them, and families paid for that choice with funerals, chemo, and empty chairs at the table.”

Barasch labeled the discovery “a betrayal” and pressed for federal oversight, arguing that such records could have accelerated diagnoses and benefits for cancer and respiratory-disease patients who were exposed to toxic dust after the towers fell.

Data from the CDC shows the staggering scope of the health crisis: 9/11-linked cancer cases have climbed 143% in just five years, with over 48,000 confirmed cases and at least 8,215 deaths—now outnumbering the victims killed on the day of the attacks itself.

Responding to the uproar, City Hall issued a statement to FOX 5 NY defending its handling of the situation. “As one of the many first responders at Ground Zero on 9/11 and in the weeks that followed, Mayor Adams has been unwavering in his commitment to ensuring victims, their families, first responders, and survivors receive the care and services they deserve. While we cannot comment on the specifics of pending litigation, the city has begun turning over documents to plaintiff’s counsel, and both parties are working out a schedule to continue this process.”

For families still fighting cancers and lung diseases two decades later, the appearance of these documents raises hopes that long-buried details about contamination levels, cleanup decisions, and environmental risks may finally come to light. Advocates like Barasch insist that only full transparency—and reliable federal funding—can ensure that first responders are not, in their words, “sacrificed twice.”

{Matzav.com}

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According to initial reports, military police forces arrived to detain a student from Yeshivas Rav Chaim Ozer at his home. However, the bochur was not at home—he was in yeshiva at the time. News of the attempted arrest immediately spread through the emergency alert lines of the Yerushalmi Faction, drawing hundreds of protesters within minutes.

A massive crowd of avreichim and yeshiva students responded to the call from local assistance groups, flooding the scene and confronting the military police.

Radio journalist Daniel Grobais of Galei Tzahal reported that demonstrators overturned military police patrol vehicles, vandalized additional equipment, and even stole military gear and handcuffs from the vehicles. Border Police officers were eventually dispatched to rescue the military police personnel from the area.

Photos from the scene showed an overturned military police car lying on its side. Witnesses described a chaotic environment as the crowd surged around the security forces.

The Israel Police released a statement early Wednesday morning, saying: “The police operated tonight to disperse an illegal demonstration in Ramat Gan and arrested two rioters. A report was received of a gathering of protesters on Meir Baal Haness Street in Ramat Gan, following military police activity at the scene and attempts to harm the forces.

“Dan District officers arrived immediately and began dispersing the rioters and extracting the military police teams. The rioters continued to gather, damaging military police vehicles and overturning a car. Officers worked to disperse the demonstration and arrested two suspects, who were brought in for questioning at the police station.”

Video footage from the scene showed Border Police officers flipping the damaged military patrol car upright while securing the area.

One of the arrested individuals is a well-known yeshiva student from the chareidi community. Local sources claim that the draft-dodging bochur initially targeted for arrest managed to flee during the chaos, escaping to his yeshiva under the cover of the clashes.

{Matzav.com}

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Hernandez, who was convicted in 2017, saw that conviction thrown out earlier this year after an appellate court ruled that the jury had been given flawed legal instructions. That decision wiped out the verdict from his second trial, forcing prosecutors to determine whether they could bring the case forward again.

With a December 1 deadline approaching, prosecutors reviewed the file and informed the court that they intend to proceed. In their formal filing, they wrote, “The District Attorney has determined that the available, admissible evidence supports prosecuting defendant on the charges of Murder in the Second Degree and Kidnapping in the First Degree in this matter, and the People are prepared to proceed.”

Etan Patz vanished in May 1979 on the very first morning his mother allowed him to walk alone to his school bus stop in Manhattan. His disappearance led to one of the most intensive searches in New York City history and marked the beginning of a nationwide transformation in how missing children cases were handled. His photograph was among the first to appear on milk cartons in an effort to enlist the public in the search. Despite decades of investigations, his body was never located.

Years later, another individual was deemed responsible in a civil case, but that man was released in 2012 after Hernandez was criminally charged. Now, more than four decades after Etan’s disappearance, prosecutors plan once again to bring the case before a jury.

{Matzav.com}

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