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A missing 12-year-old boy with autism, whose body was discovered in a New Orleans canal following a nearly two-week-long search, died from “blunt force due to an alligator” and drowning, police said Wednesday. Bryan Vasquez was first reported missing on the morning of Aug. 14, after he reportedly escaped through a bedroom window in the East side of the city, the New Orleans Police Department said. The nonverbal boy was seen on doorbell camera footage, wearing only a diaper and walking down the street alone, around 5:20 a.m. that morning. His body was found on Tuesday, located by a drone. The boy’s mother, Hilda Vasquez, had told The New Orleans Advocate/The Times-Picayune that her son would often sneak away from their home to head to a playground nearby. However, they’d recently moved to a new house. Bryan’s disappearance prompted a massive search that included multiple agencies, volunteers, airboats and bloodhounds. As local and state crews combed the area, criticism mounted over the New Orleans Police Department’s delayed response. Police Chief Anne Kirkpatrick said that there was a nearly five-hour gap between when the boy was reported missing and an officer arriving at the scene. Kirkpatrick said the police department has launched an internal investigation into the lapse. A coroner’s autopsy determined that Bryan drowned after he sustained trauma from an alligator, Kirkpatrick said at a news conference on Wednesday. The boy was found about 200 yards (183 meters) from where the search had started. Kirkpatrick said it is possible his body resurfaced after he died, which is common in drowning deaths. “Bryan was a bright, charismatic, and energetic young boy whose joy and spirit touched the lives of his family, friends and community,” city officials said in a press release. Kirkpatrick said she has asked the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries to remove “nuisance” alligators from the area where Bryan was found. According to the wildlife agency, hunters capture and remove more than 1,000 nuisance alligators every year in an effort to minimize encounters between the alligators and humans. Louisiana is home to the largest alligator population in the country. (AP)

A federal judge in New York has ruled against Saudi Arabia’s most recent attempt to have civil lawsuits dismissed that accuse the kingdom of aiding the 9/11 hijackers.

In a written ruling issued Thursday, Judge George B. Daniels clarified that his decision focused on the question of jurisdiction, not on whether the allegations against Saudi Arabia are ultimately true.

Despite the kingdom’s arguments, the judge determined that the lawsuits present sufficient legal grounds to proceed. He pointed to evidence suggesting that two Saudi employees — an imam and an accountant — may have played roles in supporting two al-Qaida operatives who arrived in the U.S. in 2000 to learn English and take flying lessons.

Attorneys representing Saudi Arabia maintained that during the 1990s, the kingdom and the U.S. were aligned in their fight against terrorism, specifically against al-Qaida and its leader, Osama bin Laden.

The lawyers for the families of 9/11 victims, however, contend that a group of radical religious figures connected to Saudi Arabia helped facilitate the attacks. These lawsuits — filed by hundreds of victims’ relatives, injured survivors, insurers, and businesses — claim that Saudi government employees knowingly assisted the hijackers and contributed to al-Qaida’s growth by financing charities tied to terrorism.

Other defendants in related cases, including Iran, the Taliban, and al-Qaida itself, have already been found in default after failing to respond to the lawsuits.

During court hearings last year, Saudi Arabia’s attorney Michael Kellogg emphasized that the kingdom revoked bin Laden’s citizenship in the 1990s and took more aggressive actions against him than any other country before the September 11 attacks.

Following the ruling, Kreindler & Kreindler, the law firm representing the plaintiffs, issued a statement praising the outcome, saying the decision “ensures that the plaintiffs may continue their long pursuit of truth and justice.”

{Matzav.com}

Rep. John Larson (D-CT) took part in an anti-immigration enforcement demonstration this week in Newington, Connecticut, where he urged citizens to oppose Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and likened the agency’s officers to Nazi forces.

“This is a time for good trouble. This is a time for Americans to rise up,” Larson told attendees at the rally, drawing loud applause from the crowd.

During his remarks, Larson compared ICE agents to the secret police forces of Nazi Germany that were responsible for atrocities during the Holocaust. “This is not Germany. That’s the SS and the Gestapo,” Larson said. “This is the United States of America. Unmask yourselves.”

His comments come at a time when ICE agents are reporting a dramatic rise in attacks, with data showing an 830-percent surge in assaults connected to enforcement operations.

In June, Acting ICE Director Todd Lyons disclosed that left-wing activists have been targeting the families and children of ICE agents as part of their opposition efforts.

Separately, Cudahy, California, Vice Mayor Cynthia Gonzalez (D) stirred controversy when she suggested that members of the violent 18th Street Gang should turn their attention toward ICE agents.

“You guys tag everything up, claiming hood, and now that your hood is being invaded by the biggest gang there is, there ain’t a peep out of you,” Gonzalez said in video footage. “It’s everyone else that’s not about the gang life and out there protesting and speaking up.”

WATCH:

{Matzav.com}

The nation’s top public health agency was left reeling Thursday as the White House worked to expel the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention director and replace her with Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. ‘s current deputy. The turmoil triggered rare bipartisan alarm as Kennedy tries to advance anti-vaccine policies that are contradicted by decades of scientific research. Two administration officials said Jim O’Neill, the second-in-command at the Department of Health and Human Services, would supplant Susan Monarez, a longtime government scientist. O’Neill, a former investment executive who also served at the federal health department under President George W. Bush, does not have a medical background. The officials, who confirmed the change, requested anonymity to discuss personnel decisions before a public announcement. A flashpoint is expected in the coming weeks as a key advisory committee, which Kennedy has reshaped with vaccine skeptics, is expected to issue new recommendations on immunizations. The panel is scheduled to review standard childhood shots for measles, hepatitis and other diseases. Two Republican senators called for congressional oversight and some Democrats said Kennedy should be fired. He is scheduled to testify on Capitol Hill on Sept. 4. No explanation given for CDC director’s ouster Kennedy has not explained the decision to oust Monarez less than a month after she was sworn in, but he warned that more turnover may be ahead. “There’s a lot of trouble at the CDC and it’s going to require getting rid of some people over the long term, in order for us to change the institutional culture,” Kennedy said at a news conference in Texas. The White House has only said that Monarez was “not aligned with” President Donald Trump’s agenda. Monarez’s lawyers said she refused “to rubber-stamp unscientific, reckless directives and fire dedicated health experts.” She is fighting her dismissal, saying the decision must come directly from Trump, who nominated her in March. The president has not said anything publicly about the matter. It’s unclear if O’Neill, who was just sworn in as HHS’ deputy secretary, will remain in both roles as acting CDC director. Monarez tried to block political interference, departing CDC officials say The saga began Wednesday night with the administration’s announcement that Monarez would no longer lead the CDC. In response, three officials — Dr. Debra Houry, Dr. Demetre Daskalakis and Dr. Daniel Jernigan — resigned from senior roles at the agency. The officials returned to the office Thursday to collect their belongings, and hundreds of supporters gathered to applaud them as they left the Atlanta campus. There were bouquets of flowers, cheers and chants of “USA not RFK.” Daskalakis, who resigned as head of the National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases, said, “I fear that children will be hurt by poor decision making around vaccines.” “You cannot dismantle public health and expect it to still work,” he said. Jernigan stepped down as director of the National Center for Emerging and Zoonotic Infectious Diseases and Houry quit her post as the agency’s deputy director and chief medical officer. Houry told The Associated Press that Monarez had tried to guard against political meddling in scientific research and health recommendations. “We were going to see if she was able to weather the storm. And when she was not, we were done,” Houry said. Dr. Richard Besser, a former CDC acting director, said Monarez told him that she had refused […]

Israel’s Transportation Minister Miri Regev has ordered the cancellation of the nighttime flight restrictions at Ben Gurion Airport to accommodate the large wave of travelers heading to Uman for Rosh Hashanah, where thousands are expected to visit the kever of Rav Nachman of Breslov in Ukraine.

According to Regev, the decision aims to ease the travel process for passengers and reduce congestion at the airport in the days leading up to the holiday. The nighttime curfew, originally imposed to limit noise from late-night departures, can only be lifted through a special ministerial order.

With this change, flights to Uman will now be permitted to take off during previously restricted hours — specifically on Sunday, September 21, and Friday, September 25, between 2:00 a.m. and 5:00 a.m. These time slots had previously been included under the departure curfew.

This update follows last week’s announcement that the government is working on a coordinated plan to prevent the arrest of yeshiva students who are classified as draft dodgers and intend to travel to Uman for Rosh Hashanah.

{Matzav.com Israel}

White House border czar Tom Homan sharply criticized California Gov. Gavin Newsom on Thursday after the governor accused Immigration and Customs Enforcement of acting as President Trump’s “private police force.”

“Newsom is an embarrassment to the position he holds. Hard stop,” Homan told reporters. “If he had an ounce of integrity, he’d be calling President Trump and thanking him for making LA safer. He’d be calling the head of ICE and thanking them for the thousands of criminals, public safety threats they’ve taken off the streets of California.”

Homan’s remarks came in direct response to statements Newsom made Wednesday during a Politico Summit, where the governor denounced ICE’s conduct and suggested misplaced priorities. “When they’re done with this — all that funding and that ‘big beautiful betrayal’ allows more resources for this private police force that increasingly is showing a tendency not to swear an oath to the Constitution, but to the president of the United States,” Newsom said.

Tensions between Trump and Newsom have been ongoing and escalated further during June’s protests over ICE raids in Los Angeles, after Trump deployed the National Guard to restore order. Their feud intensified over the summer when Trump told reporters that, if he were in Homan’s position, he would take action against the governor. “I’d do it if I were [border czar Tom Homan]. I think it’s great. Gavin likes the publicity,” Trump said. “He’s done a terrible job. I like Gavin Newsom. He’s a nice guy but he’s grossly incompetent, everybody knows.”

In response, Newsom posted on X condemning Trump’s remarks, framing them as a dangerous precedent. “The President of the United States just called for the arrest of a sitting Governor,” Newsom wrote. “I don’t care if you’re a Democrat or a Republican this is a line we cannot cross as a nation – this is an unmistakable step toward authoritarianism.”

{Matzav.com}

Former Major League Baseball star Mark Teixeira announced Thursday that he’s running for the Republican nomination for a House seat in Texas. The former slugger for the Texas Rangers and New York Yankees said he’s running for the 21st District seat currently held by Republican Rep. Chip Roy. Roy has said he’s not seeking reelection and is running for Texas attorney general. “As a proud Texan and lifelong conservative who loves our country, I’m ready to fight for the principles that make Texas strong and America exceptional,” Teixeira said in a statement posted on X. “It takes teamwork to win, and I’m ready to help defend President Trump’s America First agenda, Texas families and individual liberty.” Teixeira began his career with the Rangers, and was the 5th overall pick in the 2001 MLB draft. His 14-season career included three All-Star Game appearances, five Gold Gloves, three Silver Sluggers and a World Series title with the Yankees in 2009. Teixeira and his family moved back to Texas in 2021 after he retired from baseball. In his announcement, Teixeira pledged to work with Trump to secure the border and end “radical woke indoctrination.” The district’s GOP primary already has another contender — Daniel Betts, who ran unsuccessfully for Travis County district attorney last year, has filed paperwork to run. The 21st Congressional District covers a deeply conservative area west of both Austin and San Antonio. Teixeira announced his bid days after Republicans in the state Legislature approved a redistricting map meant to favor the GOP in the 2026 election. (AP)

Israel’s Ambassador to the United States, Yechiel Leiter, spoke with CNN’s Jake Tapper in a candid interview, highlighting the extraordinary challenges facing the IDF and the complex ethical considerations shaping Israel’s military strategy.

“You got to ask yourself a question,” Leiter said. “A country that’s capable of taking out the control of all of Iranian airspace in 72 hours, allowing for the B-2s of the United States to come in and obliterate the nuclear weapons operations in Iran, is not capable of ending this war sooner? Of course we are. But it’s because we’re taking precautions that no other country has ever taken, had to face a situation of 450 miles of terror tunnels under an area that’s 24 miles long.”

Leiter described Hamas as a “ghoulish, fiendish organization,” emphasizing that it deliberately places civilians in harm’s way while exploiting them as human shields. “They enjoy this. This is a death cult. They say this. You have to read their stuff,” he said, referring to Hamas’s own words and propaganda.

The ambassador became emotional when discussing his personal loss during the conflict, revealing that his son, Moshe, was killed in the early days of the war. “We do everything we possibly can. My own son was killed because we do not kill innocent civilians. He went in on foot into Gaza and led the troops at the beginning of the war and was killed when he went into a Hamas booby trap.”

Leiter also responded to criticisms of Israel’s military tactics, suggesting that if Israel had operated without its current restrictions, fewer soldiers might have been lost. “If we were doing what we’re being accused of doing, maybe he’d be alive today. So many of our soldiers that have died would have been alive today.”

Addressing recent images of anti-war protests, Leiter stressed that the demonstrations represent a divided sentiment in Israel rather than a single prevailing view. “The demonstrations you showed are only half of the demonstrations. The other half of the demonstrations are families of soldiers who are saying to the Prime Minister, you have to end this war with the defeat of Hamas, because otherwise we’re going back to October 6th.”

{Matzav.com}

Former New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio is urging Democrats to take a page from mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani’s playbook, arguing that the socialist’s focus on affordability and cost-of-living issues could be the key to electoral success across the country. In an interview Tuesday on Fox News’s Hannity, de Blasio praised Mamdani’s communication style, saying his straight talk about the struggles of working families propelled him to a decisive primary win. “If Democrats talked the way Zohran Mamdani does about everyday affordability and the cost of living … Democrats would be winning all over the country,” de Blasio said. Host Sean Hannity challenged de Blasio, highlighting Mamdani’s past statements and policy stances that skew further left than the average voter. But de Blasio pushed back, arguing Mamdani’s appeal transcended ideology. “The people in New York City … conservative ones, liberal ones, everyone in between — they voted overwhelmingly for him because they believed he was actually speaking to their reality,” de Blasio said. He singled out Mamdani’s push for free city buses as an example of a policy voters can immediately connect to. “That’s like a kitchen table issue,” de Blasio said. Mamdani currently leads the general election by a commanding margin. A Siena College poll released earlier this month showed him at 44%, nearly 20 points ahead of former Governor Andrew Cuomo at 25%. Republican Curtis Sliwa trailed with 12%, and incumbent Mayor Eric Adams, running as an independent after skipping the Democratic primary, polled at just 7%. Despite Cuomo’s loss in the Democratic primary and Adams’s decision not to run under the party’s banner, both remain registered Democrats as they mount independent campaigns. For de Blasio, Mamdani’s success proves that progressive populism framed around affordability resonates broadly — even in a city with a diverse Democratic base. “New York City is not affordable enough,” de Blasio said. “Here’s a guy who said, ‘I’m going to do something about it.’ And people listened.” (YWN World Headquarters – NYC)

U.S. Senator Lindsey Graham (R-SC) visited the Kerem Shalom crossing on Thursday, where he was given a comprehensive briefing on the inspection and coordination process used to allow humanitarian aid into Gaza. During the visit, he stressed the need to provide relief to civilians while preventing resources from strengthening Hamas.

“I visited the Kerem Shalom crossing and was briefed regarding the system in place to clear trucks to provide aid to Gaza. The goal is to feed the people of Gaza and not to empower Hamas,” Graham stated following the tour. “There have been episodes of cigarettes and other banned items included in shipments that allow Hamas to continue to make money on the black market. To some extent this is inevitable as all are operating under difficult circumstances.”

Graham dismissed claims that Israel is purposely using aid as a weapon or attempting to starve Gaza’s population.

“However, I want to make it clear I have never bought into the narrative that Israel is intentionally starving the people of Gaza as a tool of war. I blame Hamas for all the problems associated with the attack of October 7 and its aftermath,” he said.

The Senator also voiced his belief that Israel is cooperating with international relief organizations to ensure aid reaches those who need it.

“I do expect Israel to work with international organizations and I believe that they are,” he added.

As part of his visit, Graham toured a facility run by the Gaza Humanitarian Fund (GHF), an American-backed program focused on supplying food to civilians. He commended the work being done by GHF and its partners, including Samaritan’s Purse, led by Reverend Franklin Graham.

“I also visited a site run by the Gaza Humanitarian Fund (GHF), a food delivery system supported by the American government, and was impressed by what I saw. Samaritan’s Purse, Reverend Franklin Graham’s organization, is assisting GHF with food packages. I also support the World Food Program and many other organizations who are trying to provide humanitarian aid,” Graham said.

He highlighted that the GHF initiative had originally been supported by the Trump Administration and called for ongoing bipartisan backing to ensure its success.

“Supporting GHF was a decision made by the American government through the Trump Administration and I hope that decision will be respected. I’m not interested in engaging in efforts to tear one group down over the other. I found the accusations made against GHF not to be credible and I appreciate all they have done under difficult circumstances,” he concluded.

{Matzav.com}

President Donald Trump has fired one of two Democratic members of the U.S. Surface Transportation Board to break a 2-2 tie before the body considers the largest railroad merger ever proposed. Board member Robert E. Primus said on LinkedIn that he received an email from the White House Wednesday night terminating the position he has held since he was appointed by Trump in his first term. The vacancy would allow Trump to appoint two additional Republicans to the board before its decision on the Union Pacific-Norfolk Southern merger though the Senate would have to confirm them. Primus was the only board member to oppose Canadian Pacific’s acquisition of Kansas City Southern railroad when it was approved two years ago because he was concerned it would hurt competition. He was named Board chairman last year by former President Joe Biden and led the board until Trump, after his election, elevated Board member Patrick Fuchs to Chairman. This follows Trump’s previous firings of board members at the National Transportation Safety Board, Federal Reserve, Equal Employment Opportunity Commission and Nuclear Regulatory Commission, which are all supposed to be independent agencies. “Robert Primus did not align with the President’s America First agenda, and was terminated from his position by the White House,” White House spokesman Kush Desai said. “The administration intends to nominate new, more qualified members to the Surface Transportation Board in short order.” Primus said he doesn’t think the firing is valid because the White House didn’t offer any cause for it, and he plans to fight. He also rejected their explanation for the move because he has long tried to encourage railroads to serve every industry better and help them grow, but he has already been removed from the STB website. “I’ve been pro growth across the board in terms of encouraging growth in the freight rail network, which in turn will grow our national economy. So if that’s not being in line with America first, then I don’t know what America he’s saying is first,” Primus said to The Associated Press. He said the firings at all these agencies threaten their independence and credibility. Primus said in his tenure the STB always strove to be impartial and apolitical. The nation’s largest railroad union that represents conductors, SMART-TD, quickly condemned the firing. “The explanation provided for this decision — that his position has been “eliminated” — is nothing short of outrageous. Appointed bodies established through federal code are not designed to be erased at the whim of powerful corporate interests,” the union said. “This action is unprecedented, unlawful in spirit, and reeks of direct interference from hedge funds and the nation’s largest rail carriers.” The board is set to consider Union Pacific’s $85 billion acquisition of Norfolk Southern in the next two years before deciding whether to approve the nation’s first transcontinental railroad and reduce the number of major freight railroads in the U.S. to five. Primus said the biggest problems in the industry are the lack of growth and poor service after all the deep cuts railroads have made over the last decade in the interest of efficiency and improving profitability. He hasn’t taken a position on the UP-NS deal, but he doesn’t think mergers will necessarily improve competition. “We don’t need to merge to increase competition. We need to […]

The Israeli Supreme Court on Wednesday dismissed a petition that sought to cancel enlistment orders sent to approximately 5,500 yeshiva bochurim. The petition had been filed by the organization Emes LeYaakov, which argued that the draft notices were issued through an improper process, relying on information allegedly obtained unlawfully from the National Insurance Institute. The group maintained that the procedure was both illegal and discriminatory, and it requested that the original enlistment orders be annulled and reissued through proper channels. The justices rejected the claims, noting that the IDF has since altered its policy and no longer uses data from the National Insurance Institute when issuing draft notices. Instead, the army is now sending enlistment orders to approximately 54,000 candidates for military service without relying on outside data. Because of this change in procedure, the Court ruled that the petition was no longer relevant and ordered it dismissed. A hearing that had been scheduled for September 11 was canceled. Each side was ordered to bear its own legal expenses. Despite the ruling, Emes LeYaakov voiced concern over the fate of the thousands of yeshiva bochurim who already received enlistment orders under the earlier system. According to the organization, many of those bochurim are now classified as “draft evaders,” exposing them to potential arrest or penalties from military police. The petitioners emphasized that if the court had canceled the original orders, those affected would have received a temporary reprieve—shielding them from being labeled as evaders for several months, even if new orders were issued right away. Emes LeYaakov said they will continue pursuing the matter through additional petitions in the near future, seeking to protect the rights of bnei yeshiva facing the draft issue. (YWN World Headquarters – NYC)

Israeli fighter jets carried out airstrikes on Thursday against targets in Sanaa, the capital of Yemen.

The operation coincided with a speech being delivered by Houthi leader Abdul-Malik al-Houthi.

According to a security source, the main objective of the strike was a high-level meeting involving senior figures within the Houthi organization, described as a cabinet-style gathering that included both top military commanders and government ministers. The official said, “We estimate that we succeeded.”

Israeli intelligence assessments indicate that among those likely killed in the strike were the Houthi Defense Minister and the group’s Chief of Staff, the latter of whom had already been injured in a previous Israeli-attributed attack. However, the organization’s leader was reportedly not at the scene.

The IDF confirmed that its forces struck a Houthi military installation in the Sanaa region.

“The Houthi terrorist organization has been operating under the Iranian direction and funding in order to harm the state and its allies since the beginning of the war, undermining regional stability and disrupting global freedom of navigation,” the IDF stated.

The statement continued: “The IDF is operating decisively against the Houthi terrorist regime, while simultaneously intensifying strikes against the Hamas terrorist organization in Gaza, and will continue to act to remove any threat to the citizens of the State of Israel.”

Foreign media reports said the Israeli strike focused on safe houses where top Houthi leaders were believed to be hiding. A defense source confirmed that several high-ranking officials were inside one of the targeted locations.

Hezbollah-linked al-Mayadeen reported that more than ten separate strikes were launched across Sanaa during the operation.

Defense Minister Israel Katz, together with IDF Chief of Staff Lt.-Gen. Eyal Zamir and senior military leadership, consulted with Prime Minister Bibi Netanyahu before authorizing the strikes.

Katz declared: “As we warned the Houthis in Yemen, after the Plague of Darkness comes the Plague of the Firstborn. Whoever raises a hand against Israel — his hand will be cut off.”

This marks the second time in a week that Israeli forces have struck targets in Yemen.

On Sunday, Israeli warplanes conducted a large-scale assault involving 14 fighter jets that dropped around 40 munitions on multiple Houthi positions in the Sanaa area.

Those strikes targeted several key facilities, including the presidential palace complex, the Asar and Hizaz power stations, and a fuel storage depot utilized by Houthi forces.

In its statement following Sunday’s attacks, the IDF explained that “the strikes were conducted in response to repeated attacks by the Houthi terrorist regime against the State of Israel and its civilians, including the launching of surface-to-surface missiles and UAVs toward Israeli territory in recent days.”

“The presidential palace in the Sanaa area is located within a military site from which the military forces of the Houthi terrorist regime operate,” the IDF added. “In addition, the Hizaz and Asar power plants, which served as a significant electricity supply facility for military activities, were struck.”

{Matzav.com Israel}

The Israel Antiquities Authority (IAA) has announced the discovery of a massive dam dating back nearly 2,800 years, to the days of Malchei Yehudah. The dam, unearthed just outside the Old City walls in Ir Dovid, is believed to have been built during the reign of King Yoash or King Amatziah. Standing some 40 feet tall, over 25 feet wide, and stretching nearly 70 feet long, the monumental structure was excavated over the last two years. Researchers from the Weizmann Institute of Science, working with the IAA, used advanced carbon-dating methods to confirm its age. The dam was designed to hold back and raise the level of water flowing from the Gichon Spring and the valley runoff leading to Nachal Kidron. Experts say it served a dual role: preventing dangerous flooding while also channeling water to sustain the growing city. According to the IAA, this structure was central to the building of the Shiloach Pool described in Tanach. “This is one of the most impressive and significant remains from the period of the First Beis Hamikdash to be found in Yerushalayim,” said Eli Eskusido, director of the IAA. “Its preservation is extraordinary, and it allows us to better understand the wisdom and sophistication of Yerushalayim in that era.” The discovery joins two other water systems from the same period in Ir Dovid, underscoring the advanced urban planning of the time. The findings will be presented publicly at the annual City of David Conference in Yerushalayim.   (YWN World Headquarters – NYC)

Several dozen Jewish activists rallied outside the United Federation of Teachers (UFT) headquarters in lower Manhattan, accusing the city’s most powerful teachers union of ignoring antisemitism in public schools and abandoning Jewish educators, parents, and students. Protesters, some of them UFT members themselves, carried signs reading “UFT leadership: Failing Jewish students. Failing New York” and “Educate against hate,” while chanting “Enough is enough.” A number of participants wore official union shirts but scrawled on the back: “UFT doesn’t represent me.” The demonstrators accused UFT leadership of a “pattern of silence and inaction” on antisemitic incidents, pointing to the union’s political endorsements — including that of Democratic mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani — as emblematic of the union’s betrayal. Karen Feldman, a co-founder of the New York City Public School Alliance, said she had been a dues-paying union member for 26 years before leaving over growing antisemitism in the school system. Organizers called on the UFT to adopt the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) definition of antisemitism, ban classroom content that demonizes Jews, Zionism, or Israel, provide mandatory antisemitism training to members, withdraw endorsements of politicians who use or condone antisemitic slogans such as “Globalize the intifada,” and conduct a full audit of union materials for antisemitism. The demonstration was organized by a coalition of groups fighting antisemitism in schools and on campuses, including the New York City Public School Alliance, the Lawfare Project, EndJewHatred, Parents Against Antisemitism, and SAFE Campus for Equality. The UFT has not yet issued a response to the protesters’ demands. (YWN World Headquarters – NYC)

VP: “If you are a politician & two beautiful babies just got murdered while praying, & your politics force you to condemn prayer in response to it, you ought to get new politics because something very wrong has gone on inside your soul.”

WATCH: Father of 8-year-old Fletcher Merkel, killed in Minneapolis school shooting, gives statement. “Please remember Fletcher for person he was, not act that ended his life…Give your kids an extra hug & kiss today. We love you, Fletcher. You’ll always be with us.”

Bicur Joilim (Bikur Cholim), the oldest shul in Santiago, Chile, was vandalized on Friday while mispallelim were still inside, as three masked vandals spray-painted anti-Israel graffiti, splashed red paint, and hung posters depicting Netanyahu with a bullet hole in his head and messages accusing Jews of complicity in “genocide.” The Jewish community noted this was the fourth such attack on the shul since the October 7 massacre.