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The levayah of Harav Mattisyahu HaKohen Katz zt”l, one of the roshei yeshiva of Yeshivas Binyan Olam, took place in Yerushalayim on Monday, Zos Chanukah, following his petirah at the age of 86.

Rav Katz was born on the 12th of Teves, 5700, to his father, Rav Meir Yosef HaKohen Katz, and his mother, Mrs. Tzipporah Katz. From a young age, he immersed himself in Torah with exceptional diligence and depth, becoming known as a devoted and beloved talmid to his rabbeim. He studied with great hasmadah in the yeshivos of Ponevezh and Mir, where he distinguished himself through profound iyun and clarity in learning.

Upon reaching marriageable age, he married the daughter of Rav Ephraim Lerman.

A towering figure of yiras Shamayim, Rav Katz devoted his life to Torah and chinuch. Over the years, he raised generations of talmidim while serving in prominent teaching roles at Yeshivas Kol Torah, Ohr Somayach, Beis HaTalmud, and Maoros HaTorah. He later served as one of the roshei yeshiva of Yeshivas Binyan Olam in Yerushalayim.

Renowned for his humility and gentleness, he dedicated himself selflessly to guiding students, drawing them close to avodas Hashem, and instilling in them precision in halachah and mitzvah observance. He was especially known for his exceptional care in shemiras halashon, setting a personal example that left a lasting impression on all who encountered him.

The levayah departed at midday on Zos Chanukah from the Beis Medrash Beis Yisrael in the Ezras Torah neighborhood of Yerushalayim, accompanied by large crowds, and proceeded to Har HaMenuchos, where he was laid to rest.

The family is sitting shivah at his home, 3 Dovav Meisharim Street.

Yehi zichro boruch.

{Matzav.com}

The antisemitic terror attack in Australia has reignited urgent warnings from intelligence officials and counterterrorism experts who say global jihadist networks are expanding their reach, despite years of assurances from Western governments that groups like ISIS are weakened or in retreat. Bill Roggio, a senior fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies and one […]

TEHILLIM: Please daven for Chaim Tzvi Ben Leah Rochel, the elderly man in his 80s who was struck by a vehicle in Boro Park this morning and is in critical condition.

Cabinet Secretary Yossi Fuchs launched a public and unusually harsh attack on Sunday night against Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara following her publication of a “legal opinion” opposing the government’s establishment of a ministerial commission of inquiry into the failures of the October 7 massacre. Baharav-Miara claimed that the proposed bill is “legislation personalized for the […]

BREAKING: Russia has begun evacuating diplomats’ families from Venezuela, AP reports.

Rabbi Uri Lupolianski, the widely respected chessed leader, founder and chairman of Yad Sarah, and former mayor of Yerushalayim, has been hospitalized at Hadassah Ein Kerem.

According to reports, Rabbi Lupolianski, 74, was admitted after developing a severe case of pneumonia accompanied by breathing difficulties. He is currently receiving medical treatment and is in need of significant rachamei Shomayim.

Rabbi Lupolianski, who battled serious illness in the past and recovered with great siyata d’Shmaya, went on to continue leading the life’s work he established, building Yad Sarah into one of Israel’s largest and most impactful chessed organizations, providing medical equipment and support to hundreds of thousands annually.

All are asked to daven for Uri ben Malka.

{Matzav.com}

The median price of gasoline in the United States has dropped to $2.69 per gallon, while the national average stands at $2.79 per gallon, according to live data from GasBuddy.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio rushed to Geneva, Switzerland, after learning that Trump envoy Steve Witkoff had left early and planned to meet Ukrainian officials without coordinating with the State Department, NBC News reported. The episode highlights a broader rift over how to pursue peace in Ukraine, with Witkoff pushing for a quick deal that […]

Israel’s Ambassador To The UN Danny Danon: In the coming days, the UN is going to approve its budget for 2026. We have identified about $100 million in it that will be allocated toward incitement against the State of Israel.

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Syrian forces and the SDF are shelling each other’s positions in the ongoing clashes in Aleppo’s Sheikh Maqsoud and Ashrafiyah neighborhoods. Several shells have struck nearby residential neighborhoods injuring civilians.

In a radio interview aired Monday morning, Jonathan Pollard spoke candidly about what he described as devastating treatment by Israeli authorities while he was incarcerated in the United States, saying he felt abandoned at the very moment he expected support.

According to Pollard, the most shocking episode involved a direct conversation with an Israeli representative who, he claims, urged him to end his life in order to resolve the affair. Pollard said the comment was made to him personally and left him shaken and confused.

Recalling the exchange, Pollard said: “As disappointed as the Israeli government was with the situation, there was no need to send someone to me to tell me to kill myself. It would have been better if the Israeli government had come to defend me, instead of denying the obvious. What was done to me was simply terrible.”

Pollard went on to explain how the message was framed, recounting the words he says were spoken to him: “They came and said to me: You’re a patriot, right? So why are you making all of us suffer so much? Why don’t you just do the right thing? We’ll bring you home, give you a respectable burial, and we’ll be able to close this file. And I didn’t understand what he meant.”

He said the incident might have taken a tragic turn were it not for the intervention of an American official who, Pollard claims, urged him to hold on. Describing that moment, Pollard said: “Then it was the American who looked at me and said: You must not do this. You have to live, and you will return home one day. The American said it to me-you will return home one day.”

The remarks were made during an interview on Galai Tzahal, where Pollard expressed lasting pain and resentment over what he characterized as years of neglect and damaging conduct by the Israeli government during his imprisonment.

{Matzav.com}

Jim Beam is pausing production at its Clermont, Kentucky distillery for about a year, citing tariffs tied to the Trump administration and weakening demand for bourbon, a product that requires years of aging. Bottling, warehousing, and the visitor center will remain open, while the company’s larger distillery in Boston, Kentucky will continue operating. The slowdown […]

Israel’s Finance Ministry is moving ahead with a change that will sharply raise the ceiling for VAT-free personal imports, with Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich slated to approve the measure on Tuesday.

Once signed, the directive will be formally recorded in the government’s official registry and will come into force overnight, between Tuesday and Wednesday.

Under the new rules, the exemption threshold will increase from $75 to $150, a move that is expected to open the door for Israelis to order a far wider array of goods from overseas sellers, especially via major international e-commerce platforms such as Amazon.

The higher limit is also projected to lower the effective cost of online shopping from abroad, since buyers will be able to consolidate more items into a single shipment without triggering value-added tax.

Officials anticipate that the change will intensify competition within the domestic market, broaden consumer options, and exert downward pressure on prices of comparable products already available in Israel.

{Matzav.com}

An internal CBS News battle over a “60 Minutes” story critical of the Trump administration has exploded publicly, with a correspondent charging it was kept off the air for political reasons and news chief Bari Weiss saying Monday the story did not “advance the ball.” Two hours before airtime Sunday, CBS announced that the story […]

Mediators working on the Gaza ceasefire have forwarded to Israel a draft proposal outlining the creation of a technocratic authority that would be responsible for governing the Gaza Strip, according to sources cited by Al-Arabiya and Al-Hadath.

The sources indicated that the United States is holding intensive discussions with the mediators ahead of what is expected to be a near-term announcement on establishing an international force tied to the ceasefire framework. They added that an upcoming meeting in Florida between Donald Trump and Benjamin Netanyahu is expected to play a key role in shaping decisions related to the second phase of the Gaza agreement.

Separately, Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said on Monday that Turkey expects the second stage of the ceasefire to begin in early 2026. His comments came after talks held earlier in the week in Miami with officials from the United States, Qatar, and Egypt.

At a press conference in Damascus, Fidan explained that the discussions centered on barriers that have so far prevented the agreement from moving forward to its next phase.

Meanwhile, the United States Department of State rejected claims that Washington had agreed to provide $60 billion for Gaza’s reconstruction. In a statement, the Bureau of Near Eastern Affairs said reports published by The Wall Street Journal and The New York Times were incorrect, emphasizing that a plan attributed to President Trump does not include any such funding commitment.

{Matzav.com}