Feed aggregator

Jerry Seinfeld sparked controversy this week by equating the “Free Palestine” movement with the Ku Klux Klan, suggesting that its underlying message carries the same antisemitic hostility associated with the hate group.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, which characterized the remarks as “inflammatory,” Seinfeld made the comparison during an unannounced visit to Duke University in Durham, North Carolina.

“Free Palestine is, to me, just — you’re free to say you don’t like Jews. Just say you don’t like Jews,” The Duke Chronicle, the campus newspaper, quoted him as saying.

“By saying Free Palestine, you’re not admitting what you really think,” he continued. “So it’s actually — compared to the Ku Klux Klan, I’m actually thinking the Klan is actually a little better here because they can come right out and say, ‘We don’t like Blacks, we don’t like Jews.’ Okay, that’s honest.”

In a message sent to the newspaper, a Duke University spokesperson emphasized that the school does not review or approve remarks from invited speakers, nor does it endorse them. The spokesperson clarified that Seinfeld’s appearance was arranged by the university’s Chabad chapter together with other student groups and the institution itself.

Mason Herman, who leads the student Chabad organization, told NBC News that “the event was highlighting the fact that there are more than 40 hostages still in Gaza. To one, raise awareness of that fact, and two, to share their plight while in captivity. And to share Omer’s story.”

Seinfeld’s comments came just before he introduced Omer Shem Tov, a former hostage who was imprisoned in Gaza for 505 days. The gathering, restricted to Duke students and faculty, provided Shem Tov the chance to recount his religious and personal experiences while in Hamas captivity, the spokesperson added. Seinfeld specifically requested that his participation not be publicized in advance.

The comedian had spoken at Duke previously when he was awarded an honorary degree last year. That event was marked by dozens of students walking out in protest over his support for Israel, with some chanting “Free Palestine.”

{Matzav.com}

President Donald Trump declared Wednesday evening that he was “filled with grief and anger” after the assassination of Turning Point USA co-founder and CEO Charlie Kirk at an event in Utah.

“To my great fellow Americans, I am filled with grief and anger at the heinous assassination of Charlie Kirk on a college campus in Utah,” Trump said in a video lasting more than four minutes and posted to Truth Social. “Charlie inspired millions, and tonight all who knew him and loved him are united in shock and horror.

“Charlie was a patriot who devoted his life to the cause of open debate and the country that he loved so much, the United States of America.

“He fought for liberty, democracy, justice, and the American people. He’s a martyr for truth and freedom, and there’s never been anyone so respected by youth.”

Kirk, 31, was struck in the neck by gunfire during a student forum at Utah Valley University in Orem. Video footage captured him bleeding profusely after the shot.

He leaves behind his wife of four years, Erika, along with their two children: three-year-old Mia Grace and one-year-old James Charles.

“Charlie also was a man of deep, deep faith, and we take comfort in the knowledge that he is now at peace with God in heaven,” Trump said.

“Our prayers are with his wife Erika, his two young, beloved children, and his entire family who he loved more than anything in the world. We ask God to watch over them in this terrible hour of heartache and pain. This is a dark moment for America.”

Kirk had been opening the first stop of a 15-event “American Comeback Tour.”

Over the past several years, he made university visits a key part of his outreach, allowing both students and the public to challenge him directly in open forums. At the moment of the attack, he was seated at his familiar “Prove Me Wrong” table, fielding questions from attendees.

“Charlie Kirk traveled the nation, joyfully engaging in everyone interested in good-faith debate,” Trump said.

“His mission was to bring young people into the political process, which he did better than anybody, to hear his love of country and to spread the simple words of common sense. On campuses nationwide, he championed his ideas with courage, logic, humor, and grace.”

Trump then condemned the climate of hostility in American politics, blaming years of inflammatory rhetoric for the bloodshed. He said it is long past time that the public and the media “confront the fact that violence and murder are the tragic consequence of demonizing those with whom you disagree day after day, year after year, in the most hateful and despicable ways possible.”

“For years, those on the radical left have compared wonderful Americans like Charlie to Nazis and the world’s worst mass murderers and criminals,” Trump said. “This kind of rhetoric is directly responsible for the terrorism that we’re seeing in our country today, and it must stop right now.

“My administration will find each and every one of those who contributed to this atrocity and to other political violence, including the organizations that funded and supported, as well as those who go after our judges, law enforcement officials, and everyone else who brings order to the country.

“From the attack on my life in Butler, Pennsylvania, last year, which killed a husband and father, to the attacks on ICE agents, to the vicious murder of a healthcare executive in the streets of New York, to the shooting of House Majority Leader Steve Scalise and three others, radical left political violence has hurt too many innocent people and taken too many lives.”

Trump closed his address by calling on Americans to uphold the ideals Kirk stood for.

“The values of free speech, citizenship, the rule of law, and the patriotic devotion and love of God,” Trump said. “Charlie was the best of America, and the monster who attacked him was attacking our whole country.

“An assassin tried to silence him with a bullet, but he failed because together, we will ensure that his voice, his message, and his legacy will live on for countless generations to come.

“Today, because of this heinous act, Charlie’s voice has become bigger and grander than ever before, and it’s not even close. May God bless his memory, may God watch over his family, and may God bless the United States of America.”

WATCH:

{Matzav.com}

U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer on Thursday fired the country’s ambassador to the United States, Peter Mandelson, over his links to disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein. In a statement in the House of Commons on Thursday, Foreign Office minister Stephen Doughty said the decision came in the wake of the publication this week of emails Mandelson sent to Epstein in the 2000s, in which he gave his support to the disgraced financier even when he was facing jail. Doughty said the emails showed that the “depth and extent” of Mandelson’s relationship with Epstein was “materially different” from what was known when he was appointed ambassador to Washington last year in the wake of the Labour Party’s election victory. Mandelson, who took up his post in February this year after what the government described as an “extensive” vetting process, has voiced his deep regret over his previous links with Epstein and said he knew nothing about his criminal activities. “In light of the additional information in the emails written by Peter Mandelson, the prime minister has asked the foreign secretary to withdraw him as ambassador to the United States,” Doughty said. In particular, he pointed to Mandelson’s suggestion that Epstein’s first conviction in 2008 was “wrongful and should be challenged.” On Wednesday, The Sun newspaper published emails that it said showed Mandelson telling Epstein to “fight for early release” shortly before he was sentenced to 18 months in prison. “I think the world of you,” Mandelson told him. The decision to fire Mandelson comes just a day after Starmer said he had “confidence” in him. It’s the latest blow to the prime minister ahead of a state visit by U.S. President Donald Trump to the U.K. next week, which is likely to be met with protests and some controversy. Last week Starmer also saw his deputy, Angela Rayner, quit over a tax error on a home purchase. The government said James Roscoe, the U.K. deputy head of mission in Washington, will serve as interim ambassador and oversee Trump’s state visit. Roscoe is a career diplomat and former communications chief to the late Queen Elizabeth II. Starmer’s judgment is being increasingly questioned, particularly over his appointment of Mandelson, who is no stranger to controversy, having twice resigned from former Prime Minister Tony Blair’s government in 1998 and 2001. In the wake of his second resignation from Blair’s government, Mandelson became a European Commissioner when Britain was still in the European Union, before returning to front line British politics in 2008 to serve under Blair’s successor, Gordon Brown. Mandelson’s trade expertise was considered a major asset in trying to persuade the Trump administration not to slap heavy tariffs on British goods, and seemed to pay off when the countries struck a trade deal in May, though some details of the agreement have yet to be finalized. He is also a skilled – critics say ruthless – political operator whose mastery of political intrigue brought him the nickname “Prince of Darkness.” It’s rare for a politician, rather than a career civil servant, to be given a key U.K. ambassadorial post. The center-left former lawmaker was not an obvious emissary to the Trump administration. Mandelson once called Trump a “danger to the world” — words he later said were “ill-judged and wrong.” The focus on Mandelson […]

WATCH:

WATCH:

Belarus has freed 52 prisoners, and they have crossed into Lithuania, the Lithuanian president said Thursday. As the release became public, Belarusian state media posted a video of a U.S. envoy announcing that Washington had lifted sanctions on Belarus national air carrier, Belavia. Among those released were 14 foreigners — six Lithuanians, two Latvians, two Poles, two Germans, one French national and one U.K. national — according to the Belarusian presidency’s press service. In June, Belarus freed Siarhei Tsikhanouski, a key dissident figure and the husband of exiled opposition leader Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya, and 13 others following a rare visit by a senior envoy from the Trump administration. “I am deeply grateful to the United States and personally to President @realDonaldTrump for their continued efforts to free political prisoners. 52 is a lot. A great many. Yet more than 1,000 political prisoners still remain in Belarusian prisons and we cannot stop until they see freedom!” Lithuanian President Gitanas Nauseda wrote on X. Nauseda said the prisoners left “behind barbed wire, barred windows and constant fear.” Last month, U.S. President Donald Trump spoke to Belarus’ authoritarian president, Alexander Lukashenko, about the release of more prisoners. John Coale, Trump’s deputy Ukraine envoy, met with Lukashenko in the Belarusian capital on Thursday, and announced the lifting of sanctions. Lukashenko has ruled the nation of 9.5 million with an iron fist for more than three decades, relentlessly cracking down on the opposition and independent media. But his rule was challenged in the aftermath of Belarus’ presidential election in August 2020. Tens of thousands of people poured into the streets to protest Lukashenko’s reelection in a vote widely seen as rigged, triggering the largest protests in the country’s history. In the ensuing crackdown, tens of thousands were detained, with many beaten by police. Prominent opposition figures either fled the country or were imprisoned. Almost 1,200 political prisoners remain behind bars in Belarus, according to human rights group Viasna. Lukashenko has since extended his rule for a seventh term following a January 2025 election that the opposition called a farce. Since July 2024, he has pardoned nearly 300 people, including imprisoned U.S. citizens, seeking to mend ties with the West. (AP)

LISTEN:

https://matzav.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/Bitachon4Life-Shiur-1592-Tocheles-Part-112-Rachmanus.mp3

​​For more info, email bitachon4life@gmail.com.

 

Two Arab-Israeli bus drivers were arrested within 24 hours after the Ramot terror attack for posting incitatory messages in an internal WhatsApp group of drivers from their public bus company, celebrating the murders of the victims. According to the investigation, the first driver, 31, expressed disappointment at the deaths of only four victims (at the time of his message), writing in the group, “May Allah not forgive the terrorist; only four were killed. What a pity for his soul…there should have been at least 50.” The second driver, 25, responded to a photo of one of the victims by sending an emoji of slain Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah raising a toast. Police stated that the messages distributed in the group were reviewed by the relevant authorities, and it was decided that the case constitutes suspected offenses of incitement to commit a terrorist act and public identification with a terrorist organization. “We will act resolutely and with full severity against any expression of incitement, support, or encouragement of terrorist organizations, and we will bring those involved to justice,” an Israel Police spokesperson stated. As YWN reported on Tuesday, two Arab criminals serving sentences in prisons in central Israel were transferred to a security prison after expressing joy about the attack. (YWN Israel Desk—Jerusalem)

The deadly shooting attack that took place on Monday morning at the Ramot Junction in northern Jerusalem highlights the harsh reality that the Ramot neighborhood has become a hotspot for terror attacks, a resident of Ramot said following the attack, warning that the area is not adequately secured. Speaking in a special broadcast on Kol Chai Radio, Meni Gira Schwartz, the deputy CEO of Kol Chai and resident of Ramot, warned, “Three attacks in three years—Ramot has become a deliberate target for terrorists aiming at Chareidi areas.” Schwartz called on the Jerusalem Municipality and the Ministry of National Security to take urgent action to protect the thousands of people who pass through the Ramot Junction every day. Schwartz pointed to a troubling pattern: in the past three years, Ramot has endured three major attacks, including a double bombing at the same junction three years ago that lightly injured five and a car-ramming attack two years ago on Golda Meir Boulevard that killed three people, including the two Paley children, H’yd. “The terrorists are targeting Chareidi population centers,” he asserted, explaining that the Ramot Junction has become a central hub for the Chareidi public because of the Arazim Egged terminal located there, at which most bus lines serving Chareidi areas begin and end their routes. “This is a neighborhood the size of a city, and the junction is filled with hundreds of people during the morning rush, and that’s why terrorists choose it as a target,” he added. Schwartz called for the municipality to treat the neighborhood like a community on the seam line. He suggested placing permanent security guards at bus stops, especially during peak hours, and easing gun licensing requirements for its residents. “Ramot residents pay the highest property taxes in Jerusalem but don’t receive the same level of security as neighborhoods near the Knesset or the Prime Minister’s residence,” Schwartz stressed, noting that after the previous attack, bollards (traffic barricades) were installed to prevent car rammings. But Monday’s attack, carried out with guns, proves that additional measures are needed. “This was not a random attack; it was targeted,” he said. “The authorities must not let this pass as just another incident.” It should be noted that the terrorists may have also targeted the area because of its geographical proximity to their villages in the Ramallah area. They crossed into Israel in the northern Jerusalem area via a “known” breach in the security fence and were driven by an accomplice to the Ramot Junction. Many Chareidi journalists posted photos of the Ramot Junction on Tuesday morning, with no security presence in sight. (YWN Israel Desk—Jerusalem)

Israeli security officials are still uncertain of the results of Tuesday’s strike on Hamas leaders in Doha, Israeli media reported on Thursday morning. Security officials assess that Hamas leaders were present in the targeted villa at the time of the strike, but they were not killed or significantly harmed, or at least not all of them, Army Radio reported. The possibility that one or more were seriously injured or killed is still being examined. One of the possibilities being considered is that the munitions used in the strike were too small. The Air Force launched about 10 bombs, but the building was not completely destroyed, with some parts remaining intact. The munitions used in the strike were specifically chosen to mitigate the risk of harming Qatari civilians in the area. Security officials estimate that it will take several more days to fully assess the results of the attack. Some reports quoted sources who assessed that Israel carried out the strike in Doha as “an alternative to a targeted operation it had previously planned in Turkey.” The sources explained that Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu and his senior advisers believe the Trump administration can resolve the fallout from the strike with Doha, while an operation in Ankara—given Turkey’s NATO membership—would have carried severe diplomatic and economic costs for Israel. (YWN Israel Desk—Jerusalem)

LISTEN:

https://matzav.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/Stories4Life-Shiur-481-Feeling-Brisker-Rav.mp3

Drone footage shows the UVU crime scene where Charlie Kirk was assassinated, mapping the tent, shooter’s position, and escape route.

Both Israel and the US had expressed commitments to Qatar last week that Hamas terrorists would not be harmed on Qatari soil, Washington Post journalist David Ignatius reported on Wednesday, citing sources in Israel and the US. According to the report, IDF Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir stated on August 31 that “the bulk of Hamas’s ruling leadership that remains is abroad, and we will reach them too.” Qatar expressed concerns about Zamir’s comments, and senior Mossad officials promised that Israel will not carry out a strike on its soil. The report quoted a Qatari official as saying that the strike was a “total surprise.” Following the strike, Israeli media reported that the Mossad was opposed to the attack. Qatari Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani was quoted on the front page of the Qatari daily Al-Sharq as saying, “We will take all measures against this criminal attack. This reckless assault is a blatant violation of Qatar’s sovereignty and security.” BBC reported on Wednesday that Qatar is considering pursuing international legal action against Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu over the strike. (YWN Israel Desk—Jerusalem)

Zohran Mamdani is proving nearly impossible to shake. A new Siena Research/New York Times survey finds that the socialist assemblyman would still beat former Gov. Andrew Cuomo in November’s general election, even if the crowded four-way field somehow collapsed into a one-on-one showdown. Mamdani leads Cuomo 48% to 44% in a hypothetical head-to-head, the poll shows. That scenario depends on two major “ifs”: Mayor Eric Adams and GOP nominee Curtis Sliwa exiting the race. Absent that, Mamdani dominates a fractured field. In a four-way contest, the Queens progressive pulls 46% of likely voters. Cuomo lags far behind at 24%, while Sliwa and Adams trail at 15% and 9% respectively. “The big question is what happens if Adams and Sliwa are out,” said Siena poll director Don Levy. “Cuomo would capture most of their support and consolidate older voters. But right now, Mamdani is in control of this race.” Cuomo, running as an independent after losing June’s Democratic primary, has yet to find traction. Adams, also pursuing an independent line, is rumored to be eyeing a federal role — with Trump officials reportedly exploring ways to ease him off the ballot. Sliwa, meanwhile, insists he’s not going anywhere, swatting down chatter about a potential Trump administration appointment. Mamdani, who has built his campaign on affordability, rent freezes and taxing the wealthy, hasn’t cracked 50% in any survey. But the issues are breaking his way. Nearly half of voters say he’s best positioned to address affordability. A plurality — 43% — trust him most on Gaza, despite his sharp criticism of Israel. And nearly 70% back his plan to freeze rents on New York’s million rent-stabilized apartments, while more than 70% favor higher taxes on the city’s richest households. “Mamdani holds a huge lead among younger voters, while voters 45 and older are split between him and Cuomo,” Levy said. “Unless the field changes dramatically, Mamdani is positioned to ride that coalition straight to Gracie Mansion.” (YWN World Headquarters – NYC)

Ahead of his son’s upcoming bar mitzvah, Rav Aharon Mordechai Rokach, son of the Belzer Rebbe, paid a visit yesterday to the home of the Slabodka rosh yeshiva, Rav Dov Landau.

The visit ahead of the bar mitzvah of his son, Moshe Yehoshua Rokach.

Rav Landau welcomed Rav Aharon Mordechai with great cordiality, inquiring after the Belzer Rebbe’s well-being following his recent medical procedure. He offered heartfelt brachos for a complete recovery and many more years of health and yedidus.

During the course of the visit, Rav Landau extended his brachos to the young bar mitzvah bochur and to his father, Rav Aharon Mordechai.

{Matzav.com Israel}

Sky News Digital Editor Jack Houghton expressed his disgust at the media coverage around Charlie Kirk’s heartbreaking assassination.

WATCH:

Utah police have released an update on the investigation into Charlie Kirk’s murder.

BREAKING: The FBI is pursuing several “hot leads” and has obtained “a little bit of foreign intelligence” connected to the Charlie Kirk shooter, according to John Solomon.

An MSNBC commentator sparked outrage Wednesday by suggesting that the gunman who fatally shot Charlie Kirk in the neck might have been one of Kirk’s own backers firing recklessly “in celebration.”

“We don’t know if this was a supporter shooting their gun off in celebration,” the guest remarked during a live segment with anchor Katy Tur shortly after the shooting at a Utah university.

“We have no idea,” the guest — identified by the Washington Examiner as MSNBC contributor Matthew Dowd — said on the program. “We don’t know any of the full details of this.”

Law enforcement believes the assassin targeted Kirk from a rooftop roughly 200 yards away, according to a Fox News report.

President Trump later confirmed Kirk’s passing in a personal message on TruthSocial.

He wrote, “The Great, and even Legendary, Charlie Kirk, is dead.”

“No one understood or had the Heart of the Youth in the United States of America better than Charlie. He was loved and admired by ALL, especially me, and now, he is no longer with us,” Trump added in his tribute.

“Melania and my Sympathies go out to his beautiful wife Erika, and family. Charlie, we love you!” he concluded.

{Matzav.com}

President Donald Trump delivered a somber Oval Office address Wednesday evening, hours after conservative activist Charlie Kirk was shot and killed during a speaking event in Utah, calling the incident a “heinous assassination” and ordering flags lowered to half-staff nationwide. In a four-minute video message, Trump described Kirk, 31, as a “great, and even legendary” ally who “inspired millions” and was “loved and admired by ALL, especially me.” The president praised Kirk’s role in galvanizing young conservatives, calling him a “martyr for truth and freedom” whose legacy would endure. Kirk, founder of Turning Point USA and a father of two, was fatally shot around noon during a Q&A session at Utah Valley University in Orem. A single round fired from roughly 200 feet away struck him in the neck as he addressed more than 3,000 attendees. Video circulating online showed him collapsing as the crowd erupted in panic. Despite immediate medical efforts, Kirk succumbed to his injuries. Utah Gov. Spencer Cox labeled the attack a “political assassination.” FBI Director Kash Patel confirmed that a person of interest detained earlier was released after questioning and said the gunman remains at large. Authorities continue to review security footage and pursue leads. Trump connected the killing to what he described as a broader pattern of political violence, referencing two failed assassination attempts against him in 2024. He directly criticized “those on the radical left” for comparing conservatives to “Nazis and the world’s worst mass murderers,” arguing such rhetoric fuels attacks. The assassination drew swift bipartisan condemnation. Former Presidents Joe Biden and Barack Obama, along with Democratic governors Gavin Newsom of California and Josh Shapiro of Pennsylvania, denounced the shooting. Shapiro, who recently survived an arson attack on his home, urged Americans to “lower the temperature of our politics.” Former Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, who survived a 2011 assassination attempt, called the killing “horrifying.” Vice President JD Vance, a longtime friend of Kirk, wrote on X that his events were “one of the few places with open and honest dialogue between left and right.” Utah Valley University suspended classes through the week. Kirk is survived by his wife, Erika Lane Frantzve, and their two young children. Trump closed his address with a vow: “An assassin tried to silence him with a bullet, but he failed, because together we will ensure that his voice, his message, and his legacy will live on.” (YWN World Headquarters – NYC)