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A new chapter in the ongoing tefillah campaign for the recovery of mekubal Rav Chizkiyahu Dov HaKohein Kook unfolded this week after one of his talmidim reported a striking dream in which the Rav allegedly asked that additional tefillos be offered on his behalf at Kever Rochel.

The development follows Monday night’s massive tefillah gathering at the Kosel HaMaaravi, where gedolei Yisroel, talmidim, and members of the public gathered to cry out for the recovery of the renowned Tiveria tzaddik.

According to the talmid, who served as the chazzan during the gathering at the Kosel, Rav Kook appeared to him in a dream later that night.

The talmid recounted that the Rav thanked him for the uplifting tefillos that had been recited but requested that a similar tefillah gathering be held at Kever Rochel as well.

According to the account, Rav Kook indicated in the dream that he remains in need of continued rachamei Shamayim and has not yet emerged completely from danger. He therefore asked that additional tefillos be organized at Kever Rochel.

Following the widely discussed dream, Rav Kook’s talmidim announced that a public tefillah gathering would be held at Kever Rochel for his complete recovery. Participants are being urged to add tefillos for Rav Chizkiyahu Dov ben Shoshanah HaKohein and include him among the other ill members of Klal Yisroel.

The renewed tefillah initiative comes as family members continue to report both encouraging developments and ongoing concerns regarding the Rav’s condition.

As previously reported, during a recent interview on the program Hafuch Al Hafuch with Rav Moshe Ben Lulu, Rav Gedaliah Kook shared an extensive update on his father’s medical status. He described significant improvement over recent weeks after a prolonged and difficult medical ordeal that had deeply concerned the Rav’s many followers.

According to Rav Gedaliah, several major bodily systems that had ceased functioning have resumed operation. “The kidneys have resumed functioning, dialysis has been removed, and breathing has returned independently for much of the day.”

At the same time, he emphasized that one critical concern remains.

“We need great miracles regarding the Rav’s consciousness,” he said.

While there have been notable signs of improvement, Rav Kook has not yet regained full consciousness. Family members report that he occasionally appears to respond slightly to beloved niggunim or particularly emotional tefillos, but that the road to full recovery remains uncertain.

His followers continue to call upon the public to intensify tefillos and acts of merit on behalf of Rav Chizkiyahu Dov ben Shoshanah HaKohein for a complete and speedy recovery.

{Matzav.com}

Jerry Seinfeld delivered a brief but pointed response Wednesday night after an anti-Israel social media personality confronted him outside Madison Square Garden following the Knicks’ dramatic NBA Finals victory.

The 72-year-old comedy icon was making his way through the crowd after Game 4 when influencer FinesseFave approached him with a microphone and camera, attempting to draw him into a political exchange.

“What up, Seinfeld? What up? Can we get a ‘Free Palestine’?” said the streamer, FinesseFave, sticking a mic in the face of the Jewish actor and writer.

Seinfeld laughed at the request and responded with a short remark before continuing on his way.

“It doesn’t exist,” he said, before walking away.

Matzav.com cannot post the actual clip because it contains profanities.

The video quickly spread online after FinesseFave posted it to his TikTok account, where he has approximately 180,000 followers.

FinesseFave later shared the video with his 180,000 TikTok followers, along with the caption, “Clown hasn’t been relevant in decades anyway.”

The encounter was the latest in a string of confrontations involving Seinfeld amid ongoing anti-Israel demonstrations and activism directed at public figures who have voiced support for Israel.

One notable incident occurred in May 2024, when Seinfeld delivered the commencement address at Duke University.

In May 2024, he was booed, and dozens of students walked out as the comedian gave the commencement speech at Duke University.

Just weeks afterward, another disruption took place during one of his stand-up performances in Virginia.

Two weeks later, he was interrupted on stage by an anti-Israel protester who jumped up and yelled, “Free Gaza” during a standup show in Norfolk, Virginia, TMZ reported.

Audience members quickly turned against the protester, loudly supporting Seinfeld as security moved to restore order.

The audience responded by booing the heckler and chanting, “Jerry! Jerry!” as another bystander got the protester in a headlock before security ushered the man out.

Seinfeld responded from the stage with characteristic sarcasm.

“This is exciting. I like this. I like a little Jew hate to spice up the show,” Seinfeld joked darkly from the stage as the heckler was evicted.

Although the protester was removed, interruptions reportedly continued throughout the evening.

The show continued, but protesters interrupted Seinfeld a further eight times throughout the 90-minute set.

The comedian has also been confronted several times in New York City during the past year.

Seinfeld has also faced abuse on the streets of his native New York, with two high-profile incidents in 2025.

One episode took place outside Radio City Music Hall, where a content creator appeared to ask for a photograph before turning the interaction into a political stunt.

In February 2025, an influencer asked Seinfeld for a selfie outside Radio City Music Hall, before instead recording himself saying “Free Palestine” while filming the comedian.

Seinfeld declined to engage.

Seinfeld responded by saying, “I don’t care about Palestine,” before walking away.

A few months later, another activist targeted him as he departed Madison Square Garden following a Knicks playoff game.

And while leaving the Garden after a Knicks game in May 2025, a vile protester filmed themselves telling Seinfeld he supports the genocide of babies in Gaza.

The comedian answered with a quick one-liner before getting into his vehicle.

“Only you,” Seinfeld quipped, as he got into his car.

Demonstrators have also appeared outside several of Seinfeld’s live performances this year.

His standup shows have faced continual picketing this year, with protesters branding him a “genocide apologist” ahead of his appearance in Aurora, Illinois, in January, as the Jamia Times reported at the time.

Wednesday’s confrontation came after Seinfeld watched one of the most memorable games in Knicks history from celebrity row at Madison Square Garden.

Seinfeld, star of the eponymous iconic ’90s sitcom, was sitting on celebrity row at Madison Square Garden as the Knicks completed a record 29-point comeback against the San Antonio Spurs to take a 3-1 lead in the series.

With the victory, New York moved within one win of ending a championship drought that stretches back more than five decades.

The Knicks are on the brink of their first NBA Championship since 1973 if they beat the Spurs in Texas on Motzoei Shabbos, with tipoff at 8:30 p.m.

{Matzav.com}

A major US surveillance authority is on the verge of expiring after lawmakers failed Thursday to advance a temporary extension, setting off a high-stakes confrontation between Congress and President Trump over his decision to install Bill Pulte as acting director of national intelligence.

The breakdown has raised the possibility that Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, one of the government’s most important foreign intelligence tools, could lapse when it expires at midnight Friday. The dispute centers on Trump’s refusal to nominate a permanent replacement to lead the nation’s intelligence community.

Trump has continued to back Pulte, who currently serves as a federal housing finance regulator, despite criticism that he lacks the qualifications traditionally associated with the intelligence post. Democrats have argued that they will not support a renewal of the surveillance authority unless Trump withdraws Pulte and submits a permanent nominee for Senate consideration.

Efforts to pass a short-term extension collapsed in the House, where nearly all Democrats joined a number of Republicans in voting against the proposal. Attention now shifts to the Senate, although prospects for salvaging the measure before the deadline appear increasingly uncertain.

If the authority expires, intelligence agencies could face new restrictions on their ability to monitor foreign targets overseas. The timing is particularly sensitive as the United States prepares to host World Cup events and approaches celebrations marking the country’s 250th anniversary.

“We can’t let them extort us,” Trump said of Democrats.

The president has defended his decision to keep Pulte in the role temporarily and has asked lawmakers for additional time to select and confirm a permanent intelligence chief. Trump has also indicated that he wants Pulte to begin reducing the size and scope of intelligence agencies.

As the deadline approaches, both parties have accused the other of jeopardizing a surveillance program that many national security officials regard as critical to protecting the country.

“We’re going to ask every member here to do the right thing,” said House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La. “We cannot allow that to go dark.”

Democratic leaders formally announced their opposition to the extension, arguing that Pulte’s background does not satisfy statutory requirements calling for substantial national security experience.

“The apparent motivation for his elevation is the demonstrated willingness of Bill Pulte to search government databases for alleged dirt on President Trump’s chosen political enemies,” Democrat leader Hakeem Jeffries of New York and the leadership team said in a joint statement. They said there is a path to reauthorizing FISA, “but it will require enacting meaningful reforms.”

Republican lawmakers have spent much of the week pressing Trump to move quickly on a permanent nominee. Despite those efforts, the president has maintained that he requires additional time to complete the selection process.

Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., said Republican leaders have “made our views known” to the White House.

The vacancy arose following the departure of Tulsi Gabbard. Trump has said he is evaluating five potential candidates for the position.

According to Johnson, the White House views Pulte’s tenure as a temporary assignment focused on restructuring the intelligence bureaucracy.

Johnson said the president has made it very clear that Pulte will serve a “very short term — a sort of renovation role” to help the Office of the Director of National Intelligence be “renovated and downsized.”

That explanation has done little to ease concerns among House Democrats.

In a letter to Trump, Intelligence Committee Democrats led by Connecticut Rep. Jim Himes described Pulte as a “uniquely poor choice” even for an interim appointment.

Critics from both parties have cited not only Pulte’s lack of intelligence experience but also actions taken during his tenure at the Federal Housing Finance Agency. He has been associated with criminal referrals tied to allegations of mortgage fraud involving several public officials whom Trump has publicly criticized, including New York Attorney General Letitia James, Sen. Adam Schiff, and Federal Reserve Board member Lisa Cook.

“He has distinguished himself only as someone who will do or say anything to stay in your good graces,” Himes and the other lawmakers wrote, “qualities that are precisely the opposite of what our nation needs.”

Section 702 gives agencies including the CIA, NSA, and FBI authority to collect communications involving foreign targets located outside the United States without obtaining traditional warrants.

Although privacy concerns have led lawmakers in both parties to push for restrictions over the years, Congress had recently appeared close to agreement after negotiators developed a bipartisan compromise to renew the authority.

One of the architects of that compromise, Virginia Sen. Mark Warner, said the controversy surrounding Pulte has now become a major obstacle to passage.

Warner said Pulte’s appointment to replace Gabbard is “a live hand grenade” disrupting the process.

The Virginia Democrat has proposed allowing the surveillance authority to continue temporarily only if Principal Deputy Director of National Intelligence Aaron Lukas serves as acting chief during that period.

Meanwhile, Republican Sens. Tom Cotton and Chuck Grassley warned the administration that the surveillance authority may soon expire and urged officials to prepare accordingly.

The administration should prepare “for a potential significant gap in foreign intelligence collection,” they wrote in a letter.

Following widespread criticism of Pulte’s temporary elevation, Trump indicated last week that he does not intend to nominate him permanently. Nevertheless, opponents continue to insist that Pulte should be removed immediately and replaced by a nominee who can win Senate confirmation.

Despite that pressure, Trump announced Tuesday that Pulte would assume the acting role sooner than originally planned, beginning June 19.

Among the names being discussed as a possible permanent replacement is Pete Hoekstra, the US ambassador to Canada and a former chairman of the House Intelligence Committee. According to a person familiar with the discussions, the White House has contacted Hoekstra about the position and conversations remain ongoing.

{Matzav.com}