Police in Yavne&#8217;el, Northern Israel, released footage on Thursday, from a raid on a wedding between a 16-year-old girl and a 30 years old man.



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Despite the family&#8217;s claim that the event was only a &#8220;vort&#8221; (an engagement party), officers discovered a hidden kesubah, a ring, and a decorated car. The Kalah as well was dressed in 



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a white dress.



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 Marriage under 18 is not legal in Israel.



A similar raid occurred a few weeks earlier. Law enforcement officials described it as a complex phenomenon of secret weddings involving underage girls. They say it is difficult to combat with the current tools available. According to the officials, in many cases when police receive information about an event, those involved claim it is only an engagement ceremony, which makes it hard to take legal action at an early stage.



As long as there is no clear indication that it is leading to an actual marriage, the law does not give police clear authority to intervene. In many cases, investigations are opened only after the fact, and even then, investigators struggle to build a strong enough evidence base. 



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Israel Police Raid Secret Wedding of 16-Year-Old in Yavne’el

When more than 100 demonstrators gathered outside Park East Synagogue on Manhattan&#8217;s Upper East Side Tuesday evening, the scene quickly drew national attention: Hezbollah flags, chants of &#8220;intifada revolution,&#8221; and a Jewish preschool that closed early because administrators said they could not ensure a safe dismissal.



But the statement that drew perhaps the sharpest criticism did not come from the protesters. It came from Mayor Zohran Mamdani.



Hours before the demonstration, a spokesperson for the mayor said he was &#8220;deeply opposed&#8221; to the real estate expo being held at the synagogue that evening, which included the promotion of property in Yehuda and Shomron. The mayor&#8217;s office added that it was committed to ensuring safe entry and exit from the building &#8211; but critics said leading with condemnation of the event inside, rather than concern for the people attending it, crossed a constitutional line.



&#8220;When a crowd targets a house of worship, the mayor&#8217;s job is not to explain why the crowd has a point,&#8221; wrote Rabbi Mark Goldfeder, CEO of the National Jewish Advocacy Center and a law professor at Touro Law School, in a piece published Wednesday by National Review. &#8220;It is to protect the people inside.&#8221;



The event in question was an aliyah fair — a gathering where attendees could consult experts on relocating to Israel. Its website invited attendees to &#8220;listen to experts&#8221; on topics including aliyah, higher education in Israel and finances in Israel. Among the potential landing spots listed was Gush Etzion, a cluster of Israeli settlements.



The protest was organized by Pal-Awda, a hardline anti-Zionist group that supports Hamas, Hezbollah and other terror groups. Chants of &#8220;There is only one solution, intifada revolution,&#8221; &#8220;From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free,&#8221; and &#8220;We don&#8217;t want a two-state, we want &#8217;48&#8221; rose from the crowd; slogans that Jewish organizations have characterized as calls for violence and the elimination of Jewish presence in the region.



City Council Speaker Julie Menin, who had recently passed legislation compelling the NYPD to codify protocols for buffer zones around houses of worship, offered a pointed critique of both the protesters and the police response. &#8220;I&#8217;m deeply disturbed by the hateful rhetoric heard last night outside Park East Synagogue,&#8221; she said. &#8220;Calls for the destruction of Israel and the glorification of Hezbollah are horrific, intimidating, and only fuel the flames of antisemitism.&#8221; 



Mamdani, by contrast, reiterated his criticism of the event on Wednesday and doubled-down on his position at a press conference. &#8220;I think that critique of the policies of a government is very much separate from bigotry towards a people of a specific religious faith, and there is no tolerance for anti-Semitism,&#8221; he said.



Goldfeder&#8217;s legal argument centers on what he describes as the constitutional significance of official condemnation. Citing Bantam Books v. Sullivan (1963) and last year&#8217;s unanimous Supreme Court ruling in NRA v. Vullo, he argues that a mayor&#8217;s statement can chill protected religious activity even without any formal government action.



He also invoked Masterpiece Cakeshop (2018), in which the Supreme Court held that official hostility toward religious motivation constitutes a constitutional violation regardless of whether formal enforcement follows.



Speaking with Belaaz, Goldfeder elaborated on the distinction he sees between permissible political speech and actionable government conduct. &#8220;A mayor is allowed to have foreign-policy opinions,&#8221; he said. &#8220;He is not allowed to use the authority of his office to single out a lawful Jewish religious event for condemnation while that event is being targeted. That is where political speech starts to look like viewpoint discrimination and unequal protection. The mayor is not just another commentator on X. He speaks for the city.&#8221;



Goldfeder explained that &#8220;If a pattern emerges in which Jewish institutions are treated as ideologically suspect when they need protection, that can become evidence of municipal policy or custom for purposes of civil-rights liability.&#8221;



Such a pattern, critics say, has already been demonstrated. Mamdani has previously deleted city statements about protecting Jewish New Yorkers, rescinded an order adopting the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance&#8217;s definition of antisemitism, reorganized the city&#8217;s Office for the Prevention of Hate Crimes into a broader office and vetoed a bill requiring buffer zones for protestors at schools.



The Anti-Defamation League&#8217;s New York/New Jersey branch said the mayor &#8220;had a responsibility to de-escalate. He did the opposite.&#8221;



Goldfeder rejected that framing. Aliyah, he wrote, is not a detachable political position for most Jews &#8211; it is bound up with theology, history, and religious identity. Official condemnation of a Jewish gathering on those grounds, he argued, &#8220;tells Jewish institutions that protection may come with ideological conditions.



The preschool attached to the synagogue did not reopen for regular dismissal that afternoon. For Goldfeder, that was the central fact the mayor&#8217;s statement failed to acknowledge. &#8220;A Jewish preschool closed early,&#8221; he wrote, &#8220;and the mayor&#8217;s first move was to explain the grievance of the people outside.&#8221;

Mamdani’s Statement on Synagogue Protest Draws Legal Scrutiny

President Donald Trump on Monday called on Americans to observe a national Shabbos later this month, as part of his proclamation marking Jewish American Heritage Month. The observance will take place from sundown May 15 through nightfall May 16, during the United States’ 250th anniversary year.



Trump said Americans of all backgrounds are encouraged to take part, describing the day as a time for “rest, reflection, and gratitude.” The call is tied to the broader “Rededicate 250” events marking the anniversary.



The proclamation also formally designates May 2026 as Jewish American Heritage Month and highlights Jewish contributions to the country’s history. . Trump wrote that Jewish Americans have shown an “unwavering commitment to the values that make our country great — faith, family, and freedom.”



He also addressed rising antisemitism, saying his administration is working to combat attacks and hold offenders accountable. “I will never stop fighting to protect our birthright of religious freedom,” Trump said.



The proclamation also cited George Washington’s 1790 letter to the Hebrew Congregation in Newport, which stated that the United States “gives to bigotry no sanction, to persecution no assistance.”

Trump Calls for National Shabbos During Jewish Heritage Month

An Israeli man was diagnosed with hantavirus after apparently contracting the rare disease during a trip to Eastern Europe, according to a Thursday report by Maariv. The case is believed to be the first confirmed hantavirus infection reported in Israel in years.



According to the report, the patient developed symptoms consistent with hantavirus infection after returning from Eastern Europe several months ago. Antibody testing initially indicated exposure to the virus, while a later PCR test confirmed the infection. The patient is reportedly in stable condition and under medical monitoring. His identity, place of residence, and the medical center involved were not published.



Maariv reported that the Israeli case is linked to a European hantavirus strain and is not connected to the ongoing MV Hondius outbreak in the South Atlantic. The ship outbreak, which has been tied to the Andes strain of hantavirus, has reportedly left three people dead and several others infected or under investigation. Unlike most hantavirus strains, the Andes variant has been associated in rare cases with person-to-person transmission.



According to the report, there is currently no indication of wider spread inside Israel or an immediate public health threat. The article did not cite any special Health Ministry warning or new restrictions connected to the case.



Hantavirus is primarily carried by rodents and usually spreads when people inhale particles from dried urine, droppings, or saliva left behind by infected mice or rats. Early symptoms can resemble the flu and include fever, muscle pain, headaches, nausea, and weakness, while severe cases may lead to respiratory or kidney complications.

Israeli Diagnosed With Rare Hantavirus After Eastern Europe Trip — Report

A new photo published Thursday showed Rabbi Liraz Zeira, who lost both legs while serving in the IDF reserves in southern Syria, back on the street helping a man put on tefillin.



The image, shared by the Instagram account “Smiling Soldiers / חיילים מחייכים,” shows Zeira standing on prosthetics, wearing his uniform and carrying a rifle as he continues his Chabad outreach. The photo was taken by Menachem Geisinsky near the Chabad House Zeira runs for college students in Jerusalem.



Zeira, 42, a father of five and Maj. (res.), was seriously wounded in an explosion in southern Syria after hundreds of days of reserve duty during the war. He lost both legs and underwent a long rehabilitation process before returning in recent months to his work as a Chabad emissary.



“Even after losing both legs in a mine explosion in southern Syria while serving as a major in the IDF reserves, Rabbi Liraz Zeira refuses to surrender to darkness,” the post said. It described him as continuing to encourage students and spread “joy, Torah and Chassidic warmth” to those around him.



Zeira has previously described his return to campus outreach as part of his recovery. “This is the real rehabilitation for me,” he said. In another line that has been widely shared, he summed up his mission after the injury: “I have no legs, but I received wings.”

Chabad Rabbi Liraz Zeira Seen Helping Jews Put On Tefillin After Losing Both Legs in Syria

Three people were struck by vehicles in three separate accidents in Boro Park within a span of approximately 25 minutes on erev Shabbos, leaving all three critically injured, Belaaz has learned.



Two of the victims are 13-year-old boys from the Boro Park Jewish community. The third victim was also critically injured. All three were transported to the hospital and are on respirators. Physicians have identified brain bleeds in all three cases.



The accidents involved three different drivers on three different streets. Hatzolah responded to the scenes. There is no known connection between the incidents.



The tzibur is asked to daven for: Yaakov Tzvi Hirsch ben Chana Yettel Chaim ben Feiga Rivka for a refuah shleimah b&#8217;soch sha&#8217;ar cholei Yisrael.

Three Pedestrians Struck in Unrelated Boro Park Accidents Within Minutes; All in Critical Condition

Nissim Louk never wanted to be a politician. A mechanical engineer by training, he spent decades staying out of the arena his father once inhabited. Then Hamas killed his daughter. Shani Louk Hy&#8217;d, 22, was abducted from the Nova festival on October 7, 2023, her image — taken to Gaza in the back of a pickup truck — becoming one of the most widely circulated photographs of that day&#8217;s atrocities. She was later confirmed dead.



Now her father is channeling his grief into a new political party, Orot Hashachar &#8211; &#8220;Dawn Light,&#8221; evoking the moment before sunrise when the first light appears on the horizon. The party has been registered with Israel&#8217;s Interior Ministry in Jerusalem and positioning itself to the right of Benjamin Netanyahu&#8217;s Likud on the central question of what to do with Gaza and its population.



&#8220;I&#8217;m not connected to politics,&#8221; Louk told Belaaz in an interview. &#8220;But after the seventh of October, I feel that the land of Israel needs a better future, a better destiny.&#8221;



The party&#8217;s platform, as Louk describes it, rests on a demand that most of Israel&#8217;s established political parties have declined to adopt as official policy: the full transfer of the Palestinian population out of Gaza, Yehuda and Shomron, permanently.



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Louk drew a distinction between several Arab populations he believes must be addressed. The first are Palestinians in Gaza and Yehuda and Shomron, whom he described as stateless refugees without Israeli documentation, living there for decades. The second are Israeli Arabs and Bedouins in mixed cities like Jaffa, Akko, and Beersheva who he said have intermarried with Palestinians from Gaza and Yehuda and Shomron, whom he regards as a potential internal security threat. He said the party&#8217;s platform covers all of these groups.



&#8220;We must do a full immigration for all the people of Gaza,&#8221; Louk said. &#8220;This is the first thing.&#8221;



He acknowledged the legal obstacles directly. &#8220;Moving two million people from Gaza to other countries is an international crime — we know it,&#8221; he said. &#8220;There are legal problems, international problems. But we have to fight for it, and we will succeed.&#8221;



Louk said the plan also calls for not rebuilding Gaza after the war, envisioning the territory converted into &#8220;an international park.&#8221;



As for where the displaced population would go, he offered no specific destination, describing it as a diplomatic challenge to be resolved. The second plank of the platform, he said, is preparing Israel to absorb a large wave of Jewish immigration from the diaspora &#8211; particularly from North America and Europe, where he sees growing Muslim political influence as a push factor. The party also calls for investment in education and what Louk described as national renewal.



Orot Hashachar&#8217;s most prominent figure alongside Louk is Jonathan Pollard, who in Israel is widely regarded as a hero; a patriot who sacrificed his freedom for the state.



Pollard, a former civilian intelligence analyst for the United States Navy, pleaded guilty in 1987 to passing classified information to Israel and received a life sentence that drew immediate and sustained criticism from across the American legal and political establishment. Dozens of Americans convicted of the same offense had received sentences averaging twelve years and served an average of four.



Former Attorney General Michael Mukasey, in a letter to President Obama, wrote that in eighteen years on the bench he had imposed life sentences on only four defendants — two murderers and two terrorists — and that Pollard&#8217;s offense &#8220;does not nearly approach any of those.&#8221;



Pollard&#8217;s attorneys long argued that his life sentence was unfairly influenced by the anti-Israeli sentiments of then-Defense Secretary Caspar Weinberger, whose sealed sentencing memorandum was never made available to the defense. A 2014 letter to President Obama signed by former CIA Director James Woolsey, former Assistant Defense Secretary Lawrence Korb, and former National Security Advisor Robert McFarlane called the sentence &#8220;grossly disproportionate&#8221; and the legal basis for keeping him imprisoned &#8220;patently false.&#8221;



Henry Kissinger, former Senate Intelligence Committee Chairman Dennis DeConcini, and every Israeli prime minister from Yitzchak Rabin onward also called for his release.



Pollard himself maintained that he had provided only information vital to Israeli security that was being withheld by the Pentagon in violation of a 1983 intelligence-sharing memorandum between the two countries; including data on Soviet arms shipments to Syria, Iraqi and Syrian chemical weapons programs, the Pakistani nuclear project, and Libyan air defense systems. He was released in 2015 after serving thirty years and made aliyah to Israel in 2020.



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Louk said the two men have spoken extensively by telephone but have not yet met in person, with an in-person meeting planned for this week.



 &#8220;He heard me, and the story of Shani,&#8221; Louk said. &#8220;And when he heard that, he decided to join us. He is a very clever man. He really loves the people of Israel, and he&#8217;s part of us.&#8221;



Pollard, Louk said, brings credibility and intellectual depth to the party&#8217;s foreign policy thinking. &#8220;He knows so many things, and he&#8217;s so smart.&#8221;



A central argument of the party is that Israel&#8217;s governing right wing — including Netanyahu — has failed to act on its professed ideology. &#8220;There is no right party in Israel,&#8221; Louk said flatly. He pointed to the 1998 Wye River Memorandum, under which Netanyahu&#8217;s first government transferred additional territory to the Palestinian Authority, as evidence that the prime minister&#8217;s right-wing credentials are hollow. &#8220;If you give land to the Palestinians,&#8221; Louk said, &#8220;you cannot call yourself right wing in any aspect.&#8221;



He was sharply critical of what he described as a pattern of Israeli military advances in Gaza followed by withdrawals, which he said meant soldiers dying to retake the same ground repeatedly. &#8220;Each time that we conquer an area, soldiers are falling and dying, and the next month we are going back again, and we are conquering the same area for like 10 times,&#8221; he said. &#8220;Twenty soldiers are dying for nothing, because our government does not have a plan.&#8221; Louk invoked President Trump favorably, noting that Trump had proposed relocating Gaza&#8217;s population to other Arab countries. &#8220;Instead of doing that, we waited and waited and waited,&#8221; he said, &#8220;and now America is deciding about what happens in Israel.&#8221;



One question facing any new party on Israel&#8217;s right is whether it can consolidate enough support to clear the electoral threshold and enter the Knesset &#8211; 3.25 percent of the national vote &#8211; rather than siphon votes from existing parties and leave the right weaker overall.



Asked about that risk, Louk said the party intends to serve as a unifying platform for several small right-wing factions and figures who currently cannot pass the threshold independently. He named Moshe Feiglin, the libertarian-nationalist politician who founded the Zehut party and several others. He described these as potential coalition partners within a broader slate, though he acknowledged that negotiations over details were ongoing and no unified list had been finalized.



There is a historical precedent that Louk was asked to address directly: the Kach party, founded by R. Meir Kahane, which advocated Arab expulsion and was banned from the Knesset in 1988 under anti-racism legislation, later designated a terrorist organization by both Israel and the United States. Louk argued that October 7 had fundamentally changed the political environment.



&#8220;Until the seventh of October, we were innocent &#8211; we were nice, and everything went well,&#8221; he said. &#8220;But on the seventh of October, all the people that saw that there was a chance of some kind of negotiation and peace with the Arabs woke up. Now most of the people understand that the peace they always wanted is not a real peace.&#8221;



He also met with Robert F. Kennedy Jr., now the United States Secretary of Health and Human Services, whose father was assassinated in 1968 by Sirhan Sirhan, a Palestinian. &#8220;We sat at the table for two hours,&#8221; Louk said. &#8220;I explained to him that there is no future in Gaza for any Palestinian &#8211; the kids in Gaza are going to be terrorists.&#8221;



Louk was careful to describe his political ambitions as time-limited and personal. He said he did not enjoy politics and did not seek a career in it.



&#8220;My aim is only one thing: to avenge the death of my daughter, and to avenge the death of 3,000 people, and to save and help the Jewish people, and to prepare the land for aliyah,&#8221; he said. &#8220;When I finish this &#8211; when the people of Gaza will not be there anymore &#8211; I&#8217;m going to leave politics.&#8221;



Orot Hashachar is formally registered as a political party with the Israeli Interior Ministry, Louk confirmed. Whether it can translate the raw intensity of post-October 7 grief into electoral power &#8211; and whether its platform survives contact with Israeli and international law &#8211; remains to be seen.



Louk&#8217;s daughter Shani&#8217;s name, the bereaved father notes, can be read in a way that translates to the word &#8220;change.&#8221;



&#8220;Shani will bring the change to the people of Israel,&#8221; he said. &#8220;I hope we will rebuild our country again, and the country will be safe.”

Belaaz Interview: Father of Oct. 7 Victim Launches New Party With Jonathan Pollard, Calling for Palestinian Expulsion

Americans can now earn accredited bachelor’s and master’s degrees entirely on their mobile phones, according to Cornerstone University, as higher education continues moving further away from the traditional classroom model.



The university’s SOAR program allows students to complete an associate’s or bachelor’s degree in strategic business management, or a master’s degree in organizational leadership. Cornerstone University President Gerson Moreno-Riaño told Fox Business, “We developed the nation’s first mobile platform to deliver an accredited undergraduate degree and a master’s degree as well, all via your mobile phone.”



The program launched in August and has about 250 students enrolled, according to the university. Moreno-Riaño said some transfer students with prior credits are expected to become the program’s first graduates this year.



The bachelor’s degree costs $24,000 from start to finish, while the master’s degree costs $12,000. The university said more than half of current students are paying no tuition because of scholarships and grants, and said the program has a 91% month-to-month persistence rate.



Cornerstone described the program as an answer for non-traditional students who cannot, or do not want to, return to a standard college model. “We see this as an opportunity to address a gap in our country now when it comes to education, and frankly, we’re convinced that the current American higher ed infrastructure cannot address this challenge,” Moreno-Riaño said.



Instead of moving a standard college course onto Zoom, Cornerstone says it rebuilt the program for a phone screen. The app uses self-paced microlearning modules, with short videos, podcasts, audiobooks, interviews and instant assessments instead of fixed class times. New classes begin every two weeks, and students can move through lessons while commuting, traveling or doing chores, according to the university.

University Now Lets Students Earn Bachelor’s And Master’s Degrees Entirely By Phone

The Toronto Jewish community is on high alert following a frightening incident Thursday night in which three individuals were fired upon with a replica weapon outside a local shul. The Toronto Police Service has confirmed it is officially investigating the drive-by assault as a hate-motivated offense.



According to police reports, the three individuals were standing in front of the Bobover shul, located in the heart of the community near Bathurst Street and Highway 401, when a passing vehicle approached. An occupant of the vehicle then fired at the group using a replica firearm.



Authorities stated that one of the individuals was struck during the attack, sustaining minor injuries. Baruch Hashem, the victim did not require transport to a hospital. As the investigation continues, police have not yet released identifying information regarding the suspect vehicle or the specific type of replica weapon utilized in the assault.



The attack has deeply unsettled local residents and congregants. Raphael Goldberg, a member of the Chasidei Bobov shul, expressed the apprehension felt by many in the community. Speaking to local media, Goldberg noted, “Attacks like this one are frightening. Especially when they happen at places of worship.” Reflecting on the broader climate in the area, he added, “I think there’s a hatred happening in the city and it’s scary.”



This latest assault is part of a deeply troubling and escalating pattern of violence directed at Jewish institutions in the region. The Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs (CIJA) issued a stark warning in response to Thursday night&#8217;s attack, noting that this is already the second such incident in just a single week, following three separate shootings that targeted Toronto synagogues in March.



&#8220;This is not normal, and it cannot become normalized,&#8221; CIJA declared in a statement. &#8220;Individuals were targeted outside a Jewish institution and subjected to intimidation and violence because of who they are and where they were.&#8221;



The organization emphasized the heavy toll these repeated attacks are taking on the local kehillah. &#8220;The cumulative impact on the Jewish community is profound. Families should not have to fear attending synagogue, gathering in community spaces, or simply standing outside Jewish institutions in Toronto.&#8221;



As the Toronto Police continue their investigation into the hate crime, CIJA issued an urgent call to action, demanding that &#8220;Governments, law enforcement, and civic leaders must treat these incidents with the seriousness they deserve and ensure those responsible are identified and held accountable.&#8221;

Three Jews Shot with Replica Firearm Outside Toronto Bobover Shul

Israeli President Yitzchak Herzog met secretly with Yaakov Bardougo, a commentator and close associate of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, to discuss options for ending the prime minister&#8217;s ongoing corruption trial — including a possible pardon — according to a report aired Thursday on Israel&#8217;s Channel 12.



The report comes as Herzog has effectively rejected the pardon, defying months of mounting pressure from U.S. President Donald Trump to grant Netanyahu immediate clemency. Herzog has decided to shelve Netanyahu&#8217;s pardon request, preferring to press both sides toward a negotiated plea agreement that would end the case.



According to senior Israeli officials with direct knowledge of his thinking, Herzog believes there are options beyond the binary pardon-or-no-pardon choice, and that his primary role as president is to foster national unity.



For now, those officials said, he will not say yes or no to the pardon request.



The decision to hold off amounts to a direct rebuff of Trump, who has waged an unusually aggressive campaign to intervene in Israel&#8217;s domestic legal affairs. Trump told Axios in March that he speaks with Netanyahu every day about the war and wants the prime minister focused solely on the fighting against Iran. &#8220;I want the only pressure on Bibi to be the fighting against Iran,&#8221; Trump said, demanding that Herzog grant the pardon immediately and calling the Israeli president &#8220;a disgrace&#8221; for failing to act.



Trump dismissed the underlying charges — which involve allegations that Netanyahu received hundreds of thousands of dollars&#8217; worth of gifts from billionaires in exchange for political favors — saying Netanyahu &#8220;should not be on trial over wine and cigars&#8221; and that he is a wartime prime minister who &#8220;should not be in jail.&#8221;



As recently as last week, Trump told Axios that Netanyahu had raised his corruption trial during a phone call between the two leaders, telling him he would be back in court instead of focusing on Iran. &#8220;In the middle of a war? Give me a break,&#8221; Trump said.



Herzog has not budged. Both the Justice Ministry&#8217;s Pardons Department and Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara have advised against granting the pardon on the basis of the current request. Proceeding against those legal recommendations would have risked intervention by the High Court of Justice and potential damage to the presidency as an institution.



The Pardons Department issued a detailed opinion in March stating there is no legal basis for a pardon without an admission of guilt or conviction — a condition Netanyahu, who insists he is the victim of a political witch hunt, has shown no willingness to meet.



It is against that backdrop that Thursday&#8217;s Channel 12 report takes on added significance. According to the report, the secret Shoham meeting was arranged only after weeks of sharp public attacks by Bardougo against Herzog.



Bardougo had called the president unfit for his office, accused him of harming state security by refusing to pardon Netanyahu, and suggested he was being manipulated by left-wing elements. Despite the acrimony, representatives of the president&#8217;s office moved to arrange the meeting, with mutual acquaintance Yoram Marciano serving as intermediary.



At the gathering — attended by Herzog, his director-general, and Bardougo — those present discussed the possibility of a pardon as well as other alternatives for concluding the prime minister&#8217;s legal proceedings.



According to the report, Herzog told Bardougo at the conclusion of the meeting that he intended to actively advance a plea agreement and offered to invite both sides to the president&#8217;s residence to reach a swift resolution. Roughly a month later, Herzog made a public call for plea negotiations — but without disclosing the prior understandings reached with Netanyahu&#8217;s associate, or the behind-the-scenes pressure that preceded it.



Herzog&#8217;s office pushed back firmly on the Channel 12 account, insisting the Shoham meeting was a routine background conversation with a journalist, of a kind the president holds periodically with media figures across the political spectrum. &#8220;The meeting in question was a general background conversation only, as part of meetings of this type, and no agreement, promise, or concrete discussion regarding a pardon took place,&#8221; the statement read.



&#8220;Contrary to the claims, the president did not reach any understandings with Bardougo — not on the matter of a pardon, and not on any other matter.&#8221;



The office added that Bardougo &#8220;was not involved directly or indirectly&#8221; in the president&#8217;s mediation efforts — efforts which, it noted, Bardougo is known to oppose. Herzog&#8217;s office has consistently maintained that the president will examine any pardon request &#8220;in accordance with the law, the best interests of the state, and his conscience, and without any influence from external or internal pressures of any kind.&#8221;

Report: Herzog Held Secret Meeting on Netanyahu Trial as He Rebuffs Trump Pardon Demands

A grassroots effort to bring back Spirit Airlines has drawn more than $22 million in pledges within a day of the carrier’s shutdown. The campaign, “Let’s Buy Spirit,” aims to relaunch the airline as a community-owned company modeled after the Green Bay Packers football team, with support from former passengers, employees, and aviation enthusiasts who say the low-cost carrier played a key role in keeping fares affordable.



Spirit Airlines ceased operations on May 2 after years of financial pressure, failed merger attempts, and rising costs. The airline grounded its fleet, canceled all flights, and ended a 34-year run, leaving passengers scrambling for alternatives. Its final revenue flight landed at Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport shortly before the closure was announced.



Organizers behind the campaign say the goal is to give everyday travelers a stake in the future of low-cost aviation, branding Spirit as “The People’s Carrier.” The effort has gained traction on social media, where supporters are sharing plans for a restructured airline, though key details remain unclear.



The proposal would shift ownership away from traditional investors toward broad public participation. While the idea has sparked interest, aviation experts note the industry’s high costs, regulatory barriers, and operational challenges would make any revival difficult.



Supporters argue Spirit’s disappearance could drive up ticket prices, pointing to the airline’s long-standing role in pushing competitors to lower fares through its ultra-low-cost model.

Grassroots Campaign To Revive Spirit Airlines Surpasses $22 Million In Pledges

Leaders of the Jewish Cemetery of the Virginia Peninsula said 24 Matzeivos were damaged in a vandalism attack that has deeply unsettled members of the local Jewish community.



The destruction was discovered in a section of the Hampton cemetery that dates back more than 130 years, making it one of the oldest burial grounds in the area.



“This is not merely property damage,” E.D. “Buddy” David, president of the Jewish Cemetery of the Virginia Peninsula told WVEC-TV. “It is an assault on our dead, on our grief, and on our dignity as a community.”



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David said investigators found shattered and overturned headstones spread across part of the cemetery grounds.



Hampton Police Chief Jimmie Wideman said authorities believe the damage was caused by an 11-year-old boy who lives nearby.



Police said the FBI has been consulted and investigators currently do not believe the vandalism was driven by antisemitism or considered a hate crime.



“At this point, there’s nothing to suggest that was his motive,” Wideman said. “The primary indication right now appears to be issues within his family situation, including substance abuse.”



Wideman said no charges have been filed so far, though detectives are continuing to examine potential charges.



Despite police saying the act does not appear to have been motivated by hate, David said the Jewish community still feels deeply shaken by what happened.



“It might turn out to be the actions of a disturbed 11-year-old juvenile, but we nonetheless feel violated,” David said. “And of course, as Jews, we have cause to look around the corner.”



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Cemetery officials said efforts are already underway to repair the damaged graves and restore the cemetery grounds.



“We are in touch with a company and expect this to be done within the next 10 days or so,” David said. “But we will never forget.”



Leadership at the cemetery also said additional security measures are being considered, including improved lighting and motion-detection systems.



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Jewish Cemetery In Hampton Desecrated As 24 Matzeivos Smashed In Overnight Vandalism

El Al Airlines has inaugurated a state-of-the-art kosher aviation catering facility at Ben Gurion Airport, marking what the carrier is calling the largest and most advanced operation of its kind in the world.



The new plant, built by Tamam, El Al&#8217;s in-house catering subsidiary, spans approximately 14,000 square meters &#8211; nearly double the footprint of the previous facility &#8211; and represents an investment of hundreds of millions of shekels.



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Production capacity has grown from roughly 30,000 meals per day to approximately 50,000, with advanced technological systems enabling precise process management, rigorous quality control, and elevated culinary standards.



The facility replaces a plant that had been in operation for decades. The transition to full operations is expected to take place gradually over the coming months.



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El Al CEO Levi Halevy said the investment reflects the airline&#8217;s broader commitment to the passenger experience. &#8220;Every component of the customer journey is part of the overall experience,&#8221; he said. &#8220;The new Tamam facility allows us to raise the culinary standard for El Al passengers, expand our operational capabilities, and support El Al&#8217;s growth for years to come.&#8221;



Tamam CEO Oz Radomsky called the move &#8220;a significant leap forward,&#8221; saying the facility combines cutting-edge production technology with the expertise of the company&#8217;s longtime staff. &#8220;The plant will allow us to increase our volume, improve operational efficiency, and continue delivering a high-quality product to our customers,&#8221; he said.



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Kenny Rozenberg, controlling shareholder of El Al, said the inauguration carries broader significance. &#8220;The dedication of the world&#8217;s largest kosher food facility is a meaningful moment for us as an Israeli company,&#8221; he said. &#8220;This investment reflects deep confidence in the company and its people, and strengthens our commitment to continued growth and development. The new plant will make it possible to provide the highest-quality kosher food to the international market as well.&#8221;



The expanded capacity is expected to support a wider variety of in-flight meal options across El Al routes, alongside improvements in product quality and overall service.



<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="900" height="600" src="https://api.belaaz.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/92670.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-26691" srcset="https://api.belaaz.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/92670.jpg 900w, https://api.belaaz.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/92670-300x200.jpg 300w, https://api.belaaz.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/92670-768x512.jpg 768w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 900px) 100vw, 900px" /></figure>



Photo and video credit: Asif Lankry

El Al Inaugurates World’s Largest Kosher Aviation Catering Facility

A California college professor accused in the death of a 69-year-old Jewish man during a 2023 anti-Israel protest will avoid a trial after pleading guilty to involuntary manslaughter.



Loay Abdel Fattah Alnaji, 54, of Moorpark, admitted Tuesday to felony involuntary manslaughter and felony battery causing serious bodily injury in connection with the death of Paul Kessler Hy’d, according to the Ventura County District Attorney’s Office.



Alnaji, who teaches computer science at Moorpark College, and Kessler had attended opposing demonstrations over the Israel-Hamas war in Thousand Oaks in 2023 when prosecutors say Alnaji hit Kessler in the head with a megaphone during the confrontation.



Authorities said the impact caused Kessler to collapse onto the pavement, where he suffered a fatal head injury.



As part of the plea agreement, Alnaji acknowledged “aggravating factors that he used a weapon and that the victim was particularly vulnerable” and that he had “personally inflicted great bodily injury to Kessler,” prosecutors said.



Although he pleaded guilty, Alnaji is expected to receive formal probation and could spend up to one year in jail, according to the district attorney’s office. He had originally faced a maximum sentence of four years in prison.



“Alnaji should be sentenced to prison for his violent behavior, and our office strongly objects to any lesser sentence,” Ventura County District Attorney Erik Nasarenko said in a statement.



“While no amount of punishment will ever fully account for the Kessler family loss, a prison commitment underscores the severity of this crime and will deter others from committing similar acts of violence.”



“Mr. Alnaji made a thoughtful decision today, one guided by his family’s well-being and a deep concern for community peace,” Alnaji’s attorney, Ron Bamieh, told The Post.



“The tragedy that befell Mr. Kessler, compounded by the geopolitical tensions surrounding Israel and Gaza, led Mr. Alnaji to reconsider pursuing a full trial,” he added.



Bamieh argued that Kessler approached Alnaji during the protest and “thrust a cellphone in his face while making inflammatory accusations.”



According to the defense attorney, Alnaji had only intended to knock the phone away when he struck Kessler in the head.



“Mr. Kessler suffered from an epidermoid cyst located on his brain stem—a rare condition that had previously caused balance problems and contributed to his falling weeks before the confrontation, witnessed by multiple people,” Mr. Bamieh added.



Bamieh said the central dispute at trial would have focused on whether Kessler’s fall was caused by the blow or by the preexisting medical condition.



Alnaji remains free on $50,000 bail and is scheduled to return to court for sentencing on June 25.

Pro-Palestinian Professor Pleads Guilty In Death Of Jewish Demonstrator Paul Kessler Hy’d

Businessman Vivek Ramaswamy won the Republican primary for governor of Ohio on Tuesday, setting up what is expected to be a competitive general election contest this fall against Democratic nominee Amy Acton, a former state health director who ran unopposed in her party&#8217;s primary.



Ramaswamy, who gained national prominence during the 2024 Republican presidential primary before withdrawing and endorsing President Donald Trump, now returns to his home state as the GOP standard-bearer in the governor&#8217;s race. Early polls show the race between Ramaswamy and Acton to be closely contested.



Ohio Democrats, buoyed by competitive polling in both the governor&#8217;s and Senate races, are expressing cautious optimism about their prospects in a state that has trended Republican in recent cycles. &#8220;It just feels like Ohio is back,&#8221; said state Democratic Party Chair Kathleen Clyde. It has been twenty years since Ohio last elected a Democrat as governor.



In Indiana, President Trump&#8217;s aggressive intervention in the state&#8217;s Republican primary elections yielded sweeping results Tuesday, as Trump-backed challengers defeated five of the seven incumbent state senators he had targeted for ouster. The incumbents had drawn the president&#8217;s ire last December when they voted to block a redrawn congressional map he had championed, which was designed to deliver two additional House seats to Republicans ahead of the fall midterm elections.



Trump-endorsed challengers Blake Fiechter, Tracey Powell, Michelle Davis, Brian Schmutzler, and Trevor De Vries each defeated their incumbent opponents. Fiechter&#8217;s victory was particularly notable, as he unseated state Sen. Travis Holdman, a member of the Republican Senate leadership. One Trump-backed challenger lost, with incumbent Greg Goode successfully defending his seat — the only senator among the seven to have held public listening sessions with constituents on the redistricting question before casting his vote against the map.



Roughly $12 million was spent on advertising across the seven Indiana contests, the bulk of it by Trump-allied outside groups opposing the incumbents, according to the ad-tracking firm AdImpact. The results represent a significant display of the president&#8217;s continued hold over the Republican base, as GOP voters largely sided with his push to reshape the state party in his image.



The Indiana races drew an additional subplot, as former Vice President Mike Pence broke publicly with Trump by endorsing incumbent state Sen. Jim Buck in the District 21 contest. Buck went on to lose to Trump-backed challenger Tracey Powell.



In Ohio&#8217;s Senate primary, former Sen. Sherrod Brown won the Democratic nomination, setting up a general election rematch of sorts against Republican Sen. Jon Husted, who was appointed to the seat after Vance became vice president. Brown, a three-term senator who lost his seat in 2024, is seeking a political comeback in what early polls suggest could be a closely fought race.

Ramaswamy Wins Ohio GOP Gov. Primary; Trump-Backed Challengers Sweep Indiana State Senate Races

A man in his 50s was arrested in London on Thursday after allegedly shouting Nazi abuse and threatening Jewish passengers on a bus in Hackney, police said.



The incident happened at about 3:45 p.m. on a Route 254 bus near the Stamford Hill area, home to one of Britain’s largest Jewish communities. According to Shomrim, the Jewish neighborhood watch group, the suspect shouted at Jewish passengers, “It’s a shame Hitler didn’t kill you” and “You should all go to the gas chambers.”



He also allegedly threatened to kill Jewish children and claimed he had a knife. The bus driver stopped the vehicle and activated the emergency alarm, while Shomrim volunteers and members of the public intervened. Volunteers detained the suspect until police arrived.



The Metropolitan Police said the man was arrested on suspicion of threats to kill and public order offenses. Police said the incident is being investigated as an antisemitic hate crime. Officers searched the suspect and said no weapon was found.



Transport for London condemned the incident. “No-one should ever have to fear or experience abuse when using our network,” said Siwan Hayward, TfL’s director of security, policing and enforcement. The London arrest came after a separate incident Wednesday night in Salford, near Manchester’s Jewish community, where a man in his 60s was arrested over alleged antisemitic threats.



The arrest came as London police moved to create a new 100-officer Jewish protection team, combining neighborhood officers with counterterrorism specialists, after a sharp rise in antisemitic incidents. The Met said around 50 people had been arrested for antisemitic hate crimes in the previous four weeks.

London Police Arrest Man Over Nazi Abuse And Death Threats To Jewish Bus Passengers

Azzam al-Hayya, the son of senior Hamas leader Khalil al-Hayya, was killed in an Israeli airstrike in eastern Gaza City, according to reports from Al Hadath and Al-Arabiya.



The targeted strike in Gaza marks the latest in Israel&#8217;s ongoing campaign to dismantle the leadership and infrastructure of the Hamas terror organization.



Khalil al-Hayya is a prominent and highly influential figure within the Hamas political bureau. He has served as a key deputy and a major negotiator for the terror group, frequently representing Hamas in international ceasefire and hostage negotiations in Cairo and Doha alongside other senior leaders. The elimination of his son, Azzam, represents a significant personal and organizational blow to the group&#8217;s top echelon.



The IDF has not yet released a formal statement confirming the specific operational details of the strike.

Son of Senior Hamas Leader Khalil al-Hayya Eliminated in Eastern Gaza Strike

Authorities in Antwerp have moved forward with criminal charges against two esteemed mohelim; a decision that has sparked sharp criticism from Jewish leaders and government officials in Israel and the United States.



Rabbi Menachem Margolin, chairman of the European Jewish Association, reacted strongly on Wednesday, warning that the case reflects a broader threat to Jewish life in Europe.



“This is not borderline and not ambiguous-this is antisemitism,&#8221; Margolin declared. “Another red line has been crossed. This prosecution is antisemitic in nature and represents a clear attempt to misuse irrelevant constitutional provisions in order to effectively ban circumcision.&#8221;



He said the charges follow a pattern seen in Europe’s past. “Not similar. Not comparable. Identical in its logic of restriction to what we saw in Europe before the Second World War,&#8221; he said.



Margolin also accused Belgian authorities of selectively enforcing the law. “The same prosecutor’s office that too often closes cases of antisemitism is now choosing to act against Jewish life itself. This crosses a red line.&#8221;



The case has also drawn condemnation from U.S. Ambassador to Belgium Bill White, who criticized the decision in a post on X. “The prosecution of these religious figures (mohels), one of whom is American, is WRONG and won’t be tolerated,” White wrote. “Belgium will be thought of now as antisemitic by the world. Until this is resolved—there is no way around it,” he added.



White was responding to remarks by Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar, who also denounced the charges. “Belgium joins a short and shameful list, together with Ireland, of countries that use criminal law to prosecute Jews for practicing Judaism. This is a scarlet letter on Belgian society,” Sa’ar wrote.



Margolin warned that the implications extend far beyond the individuals involved. “Today it is clear exactly what we are facing,&#8221; he said, criticizing what he described as empty reassurances from European leaders. “All the ‘beautiful words’ of politicians about the importance of Jewish life in Europe mean nothing if they do not act immediately to stop this injustice.&#8221;



Addressing the broader debate, he emphasized the central role of circumcision in Jewish life and its medical standing. “Circumcision has been shown throughout decades of medical research not to be harmful to baby boys-and even to have benefits. Attacking it in this way, only when it concerns Jewish children, is an attack on Jewish life in Europe.&#8221;



He further argued that the prosecution contradicts fundamental rights under Belgian law. “Freedom of religion is a fundamental right in Belgium, and this decision stands in direct contradiction to it.&#8221;



In a stark warning, Margolin said the development sends a troubling message. “The message here is clear: Jews are no longer welcome in Belgium. Belgian Jews are now second-class citizens with limited rights.&#8221;



He added that the European Jewish Association is weighing its response, including the possibility of encouraging emigration. “We will convene a conference to address this issue, including the possibility of emigration from the country,&#8221; he said.



“That it has come to this marks a deeply shameful moment for Belgium,&#8221; Margolin concluded.

Belgium Files Charges Against Mohels, Drawing International Backlash

Health authorities say a rare and highly dangerous strain of hantavirus &#8211; capable of spreading between people and carrying a mortality rate of about 40% &#8211; is likely behind the outbreak aboard the MV Hondius cruise ship, where three passengers have died and seven others have fallen ill.



While hantavirus is typically transmitted through contact with rodent waste, officials warned that this unusual strain appears to break that pattern &#8211; a possibility the World Health Organization said Tuesday “can’t be ruled out.”



Authorities in Cape Verde have refused to allow the Dutch-flagged vessel to dock, explaining the decision was made with the “aim of protecting national public health.”



The outbreak emerged during the ship’s voyage from Argentina to Cape Verde, and no passengers have been permitted to disembark so far, according to the cruise operator.



“We do believe that there may be some human-to-human transmission that is happening among the really close contacts,” said Maria Van Kerkhove, the World Health Organization’s epidemic and pandemic preparedness and prevention director.



The suspected strain, known as the Andes virus, is typically found in mountainous regions of Argentina and Chile. Although the MV Hondius departed Argentina on March 20, it did not originate from an area where the strain is commonly detected.



With a fatality rate approaching 40%, the Andes strain poses a severe risk, particularly in a confined setting like the 80-cabin vessel carrying roughly 150 people, where infections could escalate rapidly.



Concerns about this strain intensified after the WHO reported no evidence of rodents aboard the ship, which remained anchored off Cape Verde on Tuesday.



Medical teams in full protective gear have boarded the vessel to assist with suspected cases involving two crew members &#8211; one British and one Dutch &#8211; while also testing other passengers and crew showing symptoms.



The WHO believes the first infected passenger may have contracted the virus before boarding, Van Kerkhove said.



“Our working hypothesis is that there’s probably a couple of different types of transmission that might be happening,” she told BBC Breakfast Tuesday, noting that passengers visited multiple islands where exposure to infected rodents &#8211; through waste or saliva &#8211; could have occurred.



Spain has reportedly granted the ship permission to dock in the Canary Islands, though its health ministry pushed back on claims that a final decision has been made.



“Depending on epidemiological data gathered from the boat as it travels past Cape Verde, the most appropriate next stop for it will be decided,” the ministry said in a statement.



“Until then, the health ministry will not take a decision, as we have explained to the WHO.”

WHO Warns Of Rare 40% Fatal Strain of Hantavirus as Outbreak Traps Cruise Ship

Secretary of War Pete Hegseth maintained Tuesday that the cease-fire with Iran remains intact, even as tensions surged following a wave of aggression from Tehran on Monday and acknowledgment from America’s top general that Iran has carried out at least 10 attacks on US forces since the truce began April 8.



“Not over. Ultimately, this is a separate and distinct project,” Hegseth told reporters at the Pentagon while discussing the Trump administration’s effort to reopen the Strait of Hormuz. “We said we would defend and defend aggressively, and we absolutely have.”



“The president is going to make a decision whether anything were to escalate into a violation of a cease-fire,” Hegseth went on. “Certainly, we would urge Iran to be prudent in the actions that they take to keep that underneath this threshold. This is about the straits. This is about freedom of navigation. This is about international waterways. This is about the free flow of commerce.”



Despite the cease-fire declaration, Iran has “fired at commercial vessels nine times and seized two container ships, and they’ve attacked US forces more than 10 times, all below the threshold of restarting major combat operations,” according to Gen. Dan Caine, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.



Caine characterized the maritime assaults as “low, harassing fire,” adding that he believes Tehran is “grasping at straws to try to do something across the southern flank” while the regime struggles to maintain internal control at lower levels.



On Monday, the US military initiated “Project Freedom,” aimed at ensuring safe passage for ships through the Strait of Hormuz after Iranian actions disrupted shipping lanes and drove oil prices above $110 per barrel.



As of Tuesday, approximately 22,500 mariners remain “trapped” aboard more than 1,550 commercial vessels in the Persian Gulf amid the ongoing standoff, Caine said.



Hegseth, however, insisted that “the lane is clear” for maritime traffic, pointing to two US-flagged commercial vessels that successfully navigated the strait Monday under destroyer escort.



“We know the Iranians are embarrassed by this fact. They said they control the strait. They do not. So American ships led the way. Commercial and military,” the secretary of war said.



“As a direct gift from the United States to the world, we have established a powerful red, white, and blue dome over the strait,” Hegseth added. “These international waters belong to all nations, not to Iran to tax, toll or control our partners, allies, and the rest of the world.”



During the briefing, both Hegseth and Caine dismissed reports suggesting Iran may be deploying explosive-laden dolphins to obstruct the strait, while stopping short of fully addressing whether the US possesses similar capabilities.



“It’s still pretty low-level kinetics at this point in time, and I can’t confirm or deny whether we have kamikaze dolphins &#8211; but I can confirm they don’t,” Hegseth said.



Caine laughed off the claims.



“I haven’t heard the kamikaze dolphin thing. It’s like sharks with laser beams, right?” he said, referencing a plot element from the 1997 satire “Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery.”



A recent Wall Street Journal report cited Iranian officials as claiming the regime had considered deploying dolphins equipped with mines to target US naval vessels, though no independent evidence has confirmed such a capability.

Cease-Fire In Name Only? Hegseth Downplays Iranian Attacks As Tensions Escalate In Strait Of Hormuz

Former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani came out of a coma Monday and was awake and speaking while continuing treatment in a Florida hospital after battling pneumonia, longtime friend John Catsimatidis told reporters.



Catsimatidis said he received the update Monday afternoon from a close former aide to the 81-year-old. “He’s talking, he’s alert. To me, that’s great news,’’ the supermarket and media mogul told reporters.



Giuliani was hospitalized over the weekend after falling ill with a serious respiratory infection, his business partner Tom von Essen &#8211; the city’s fire commissioner during 9/11 &#8211; said.



“Rudy had a tough weekend. He had pneumonia,” von Essen told The NY Post, describing Monday as “an important day’’ in terms of Giuliani’s recovery.



A spokesman for Giuliani, Ted Goodman, confirmed to the Post the former mayor was recovering from pneumonia and remained under observation as a precaution.



He is now breathing independently, with family members and his primary doctor by his side, the spokesman said.



“Mayor Giuliani is the ultimate fighter &#8211; as he has demonstrated throughout his life &#8211; and he is winning this battle,” Goodman said.



The illness is linked to a chronic condition tied to Giuliani’s exposure during the Sept. 11, 2001 terror attacks, his representative added.



“On September 11th, Mayor Giuliani ran toward the towers to help those in need, which led to a restrictive airway disease diagnosis,” the spokesman said.



“This disease adds complications to any emerging respiratory issue, and the virus quickly overwhelmed his body, requiring mechanical ventilation to maintain his blood pressure.”



The latest update followed Sunday’s disclosure that Giuliani &#8211; a close ally of President Trump &#8211; was in critical but stable condition with an unspecified illness at the time.



Messages of support poured in, including from New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani.



“Absolutely, I’m wishing strength and recovery to former Mayor Rudy Giuliani and his loved ones during this difficult time. And I hope that his recovery is steady, and I hope that his family finds peace in one another during this time,” Mamdani said during a press conference.



“I think former Mayor Giuliani is someone that we, as New Yorkers, know well, and he’s been a fixture in our city’s politics and public life for so many years, and I know that many New Yorkers are concerned by reports he is in critical condition and so we do keep him and his family in our prayers at this time,” he added.



Former New York Gov. George Pataki told the Post he had been expecting to see Giuliani at a charity event later in the week.



“I was looking forward to seeing him … and being able to talk at length,’’ Pataki said. “I haven’t talked to him in a few months.



“We were great partners for the city and the state for seven years together, and we were able to just do a tremendous amount to make the city and state a better place by working together.



“So obviously now we just hope he gets better,’’ Pataki said.



Pataki said he was stunned to learn Giuliani had been hospitalized.



“It was just a shock’’ to learn Giuliani was even hospitalized, he said.



“You just take for granted that figures that have such a large profile in our state and our country will be around for a long time,’’ he added.



At the same media gathering, WABC host Dominic Carter also expressed support, saying, “History is going to judge [Giuliani] as the greatest mayor of New York City ever.”



Asked about their long friendship &#8211; despite past legal disputes &#8211; Catsimatidis said the bond remains strong.



“Friends for 40 years, brothers for 40 years,’’ he said.

Report: Giuliani Emerges From Coma, Awake And Speaking

It is with sadness that we report the petirah of Harav Rachamim Eliyahu Mazuz, zt“l, senior posek of Yeshivas Kisei Rachamim in Bnei Brak, nasi of the Machon Harav Matzliach sefarim institute. He passed away after an extended illness at Mayanei HaYeshuah Hospital in Bnei Brak.



Rav Rachamim was born on the 17th of Kislev, 5709, in Tunisia, into the illustrious Maazuz family. He was the younger brother of the previous Rosh Yeshivah of Kisei Rachamim, Harav Meir Mazuz, zt“l, and the brother of the current Rosh Heshivah, Harav Tzamach Mazuz, shlit”a. His father was Harav Matzliach Mazuz, zt“l, the author of the Ish Matzliach, Hy”d, who was murdered in Tunisia.



From his earliest youth, the Rav displayed extraordinary gifts in halachah. His father would pose complex shailos to him for analysis, recognizing in him a singular mastery of the works of the Acharonim and shailos v’teshuvos sefarim.



Following the murder of his father, Rav Rachamim was the first of the family to leave Tunisia for Eretz Yisrael, acting on a dream his mother a”h, had received. After a delay of approximately two and a half months in a transit camp in France and roughly a week’s voyage by sea through Greece, the family arrived in Eretz Yisrael.



Rav Rachamim devoted his life to a singular mission: preserving, editing, and disseminating the writings of his father. He served as nasi of Machon Harav Matzliach, the institute established under the auspices of Yeshivas Kisei Rachamim for the publication of his father’s works, including the Shu”t Ish Matzliach and the sefer Matzmiach Yeshuah.



According to B&#8217;Chadrei Charedim, Rav Rachamim became widely known among the broader public especially through his haga’os on the Ish Matzliach’s perush on the Mishnah Berurah. Earlier in his career, he also edited with great erudition the sefer VaYomer Yitzchak of his rebbe, Rav Yitzchak Bachunik, and the sefer Mishpat Kasuv of Rav Yisrael Zeitoun.



For more than forty years, Rav Rachamim led the kollel of Yeshivas Kiseh Rachamim. He also delivered shiurim to outstanding yeshivah talmidim.



His style in halachic writing earned him extraordinary recognition. Harav David Yosef, shlit”a, the Rishon LeTzion, testified: “I am thoroughly familiar with the style of my great father, Rav Ovadiah Yosef, zt“l &#8211; but the only one whose writings I read and confuse with those of my father is Harav Rachamim Mazuz.”



Last Cheshvan, as his medical condition deteriorated, the names Chaim and Shalom were added to his name following consultation with his brother, Rosh Yeshivah Harav Tzamach Mazuz, shlit”a, and his son-in-law, Harav Eliyahu Binyamin Madar. At that time, Harav David Yosef issued a public call to Klal Yisrael: “The public in Eretz Yisrael does not sufficiently know who this great gaon is — he is a towering giant in Torah, a wondrous genius whom our generation has not sufficiently recognized. He is a talmid chacham who protects the generation, and it is fitting that we all daven for his complete recovery.”



 Rav Rachamim is survived by his wife, Rabbanit Tamar, as well as by sons, sons-in-law, and grandchildren who continue his unique legacy.



The levayah will be held Wednesday from Bnei Brak and proceed to Yerushalayim, where kevurah will be held on Har HaZeisim, in the chelkah of his father.



Yehi zichro baruch.

BDE: Harav Rachamim Mazuz, zt“l, Posek of Kisei Rachamim

Egyptian Islamic terrorist Mohamed Sabry Soliman was sentenced Thursday to spend the rest of his life behind bars without the possibility of parole after admitting to a deadly firebombing attack at a gathering in Boulder, Colorado aimed at spreading awareness of then-hostage Israelis held in Gaza by Hamas.



The 46-year-old man, who federal officials say was residing illegally in the United States, pleaded guilty to dozens of felony offenses in state court, among them two first-degree murder charges that each carry automatic life sentences.



Prosecutors said Soliman attacked participants at a June 2025 rally supporting Israelis held hostage by Hamas terrorists in Gaza by throwing Molotov cocktails into the crowd gathered at a downtown Boulder pedestrian mall.



Karen Diamond Hy&#8217;d, 82, suffered severe injuries in the attack and later died. Another 12 people were wounded.



According to investigators, Soliman had allegedly prepared for the assault for about a year and was motivated by a desire “to kill all Zionist people.”



During Thursday’s hearing, Soliman mostly stared downward at the defense table. He still faces separate federal hate crime charges, to which he has pleaded not guilty. Federal prosecutors are reportedly weighing whether to seek the death penalty.



Speaking through an interpreter, Soliman expressed remorse to the victims and addressed Diamond’s death directly.



“There are no words that can express my sadness for her passing,” Soliman says.



He told the court he was not asking for mercy and urged federal authorities not to seek execution in the pending federal case.



“If I went back, I would not have done this as this is not according to the teaching of Islam,” Soliman says. “What I did came out of myself and only myself.”



Earlier in the proceedings, a prosecutor read a statement from Diamond’s sons, who said Soliman should “not be allowed to see his family again since he is responsible for our mother never seeing her family again.”

Islamic Terrorist Receives Life Sentence for Murdering Elderly Jewish Woman in Colorado Firebombing

President Donald Trump abruptly suspended a newly launched U.S. operation in the Strait of Hormuz after backlash from key Gulf allies, including Saudi Arabia, according to U.S. officials familiar with the matter who spoke with NBC.



The operation, dubbed “Project Freedom,” was intended to help commercial ships safely navigate the strategic waterway amid Iranian threats and attacks. But officials said the plan hit immediate resistance after Trump publicly announced it Sunday on social media without first fully coordinating with regional partners.



According to two U.S. officials, Saudi leaders were angered by the surprise announcement and responded by suspending permission for the U.S. military to use Saudi airspace and Prince Sultan Airbase near Riyadh in support of the mission.



Officials said a subsequent phone conversation between Trump and Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman failed to resolve the disagreement, forcing the administration to temporarily halt the operation while attempting to restore military access through the region.



Other Gulf allies were also reportedly caught off guard. Trump only spoke with Qatari leadership after the mission had already been launched.



A Saudi source told NBC News that Trump and the crown prince “have been in touch regularly.” Saudi officials were also in contact with Trump, Vice President JD Vance, U.S. Central Command and Secretary of State Marco Rubio, the source said.



Asked whether Saudi Arabia had been blindsided by the announcement, the source replied: “The problem with that premise is that things are happening quickly in real time.”



The same source added that Saudi Arabia was “very supportive of the diplomatic efforts” being led by Pakistan to help broker a deal between Washington and Tehran aimed at ending the conflict.



The White House disputed claims that regional allies were not informed beforehand. A White House official said, “Regional allies were notified in advance.”



A Middle Eastern diplomat told NBC News that Oman was only brought into discussions after Trump publicly announced the initiative.



“The U.S. made an announcement and then coordinated with us,” the diplomat said, adding, “we were not upset or angry.”



Trump introduced Project Freedom over the weekend as a way to counter Iran’s blockade efforts in the Strait of Hormuz. Senior administration and Pentagon officials spent much of Tuesday publicly defending the mission before the president suddenly paused it about a day and a half after it began.



One U.S. official said the military had already positioned additional vessels in the Gulf in preparation for escorted transit operations before the pause order was issued. Earlier, U.S. Central Command announced that two American-flagged ships had successfully crossed the strait under the operation.



Trump later wrote on social media that Project Freedom would be “paused for a short period of time to see whether or not” an agreement ending the war “can be finalized and signed.”



The United States maintains significant military infrastructure at Prince Sultan Airbase, including fighter jets, refueling aircraft and missile defense systems. Saudi Arabia had previously allowed the U.S. to use the base and its airspace to support operations connected to the war with Iran.



“Because of geography, you need cooperation from regional partners to utilize their airspace along their borders,” one U.S. official said. “In some cases there is no other way around.”



Military aircraft were considered essential to protecting vessels participating in Project Freedom, providing what officials described as a defensive umbrella over the shipping lanes.



The Pentagon refers to such permissions as “ABO,” short for access, basing and overflight rights. Officials noted that Saudi Arabia and Jordan are particularly important for aircraft basing, Kuwait is essential for overflight access, and Oman plays a key role in both overflight and naval logistics.



Trump also contacted Qatar’s emir after the operation had already started. According to a Qatari statement, the two leaders discussed the ceasefire effort and the “implications for maritime security and global supply chains.” The emir also stressed the need for de-escalation.



Despite the pause, the U.S. military continues to maintain a heavy presence in the Gulf region. Officials said there are now two carrier strike groups deployed there, along with expanded logistics support and replenished stockpiles.



Project Freedom briefly involved American surveillance systems, military personnel and firepower aboard ships to ensure safe passage through the Strait of Hormuz as Iranian forces continued threatening maritime traffic. Pentagon officials emphasized the mission was separate from the broader bombing campaign against Iran, known as “Epic Fury,” which began Feb. 28.



At the same time, the Trump administration continues pursuing diplomatic channels to end the fighting. Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmail Baghaei said Tehran was reviewing another American proposal and would consult with Pakistan, which has been serving as a mediator.



Trump hinted Wednesday that negotiations may be progressing.



“They want to make a deal,” Trump said from the Oval Office. He added there had been “very good talks over the last 24 hours.”



With midterm elections approaching in November, pressure is increasing on the administration to resolve the conflict. In an interview with PBS, Trump suggested an agreement with Iran could potentially be reached before his planned trip to Beijing next week to meet Chinese leader Xi Jinping.



“I think it’s got a very good chance of ending, and if it doesn’t end, we have to go back to bombing the hell out of them,” Trump told PBS.



According to multiple former U.S. officials, some Trump allies have urged him to intensify military operations against Iran and eliminate the regime’s remaining conventional military capabilities before the China trip.



China also entered the diplomatic picture Wednesday as Foreign Minister Wang Yi met with Iranian officials and urged a rapid end to the war.



“We believe that a comprehensive ceasefire is urgently needed, that a resumption of hostilities is not acceptable, and that it is particularly important to remain committed to dialogue and negotiations,” Wang said.



Iranian officials, however, signaled skepticism toward the latest American proposal.



“Americans will not obtain through a failed war what they failed to gain in face-to-face negotiations,” Iranian parliament official Ebrahim Rezaei wrote on X. “Iran has its finger on the trigger and is ready; if they do not surrender and grant the necessary concessions, or if they or their devilish henchdog allies try to act mischievously, we will deliver a harsh and regret-inducing response.”



Still, regional officials indicated there is growing momentum behind diplomacy.



“The Iranians don’t have the economic means to keep this going,” a Jordanian official told NBC News. “Their economy is failing, they can’t pay salaries.”

Report: Trump Nixed Strait Of Hormuz Operation Due to Pushback From Gulf Allies

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has urged Charedi party leaders in recent days to remove the controversial draft exemption law from the agenda until after upcoming elections, according to multiple Hebrew media reports, though officials have issued conflicting accounts and denials.



In conversations with senior Charedi figures, Netanyahu argued that “There is no majority in the Knesset plenum to pass the law moments before the primaries and elections” and added, “This does not need to be on the agenda right now.” He reportedly suggested advancing the legislation only after elections, saying that at that stage “Knesset members are waiting for positions, and then the law’s approval can be forced.”



However, reports diverge on his actual position. While Behadrei Charedim and Israel Hayom described efforts to delay the law, Ynet cited Charedi sources claiming Netanyahu is specifically pushing to pass it immediately. Meanwhile, the office of Moshe Gafni denied that any request to delay the legislation had been made.



The political fallout has already begun. Yitzhak Goldknopf, chairman of United Torah Judaism, said in response to the reports: “The cat is out of the bag. As I said from the beginning, Netanyahu has no intention and never had any intention of honoring the coalition agreement and the commitment to the Charedi parties. The dispute comes as the Charedi draft exemption law remains stalled under mounting legal and political pressure following a 2024 Israeli Supreme Court ruling against blanket exemptions for yeshiva bochurim.

Reports: Netanyahu Asked Charedi Parties to Delay Draft Exemption Law Until After Elections

The Anti-Defamation League said Wednesday that 2025 was one of the most violent years for Jews in the United States, even as total antisemitic incidents declined from the previous year. The group’s annual audit released today found a sharp rise in physical attacks despite an overall drop in reported cases.



The audit recorded 6,274 antisemitic incidents in 2025, a 33% decrease from 9,354 in 2024, but still the third-highest total ever documented by the ADL. At the same time, assaults rose to 203 incidents, a 4% increase, while assaults involving a deadly weapon jumped nearly 40%, from 23 to 32 cases.



ADL CEO Jonathan Greenblatt said the findings reflect a shift toward more dangerous forms of antisemitism. “Numbers that would have shocked us five years ago are now our floor,” he said. “People are being murdered because of antisemitism on American soil, and thousands more are threatened.” Three people were killed in antisemitic attacks in the U.S. in 2025, according to the report.



Other categories saw significant declines. Vandalism dropped 21% and harassment fell 39%, while campus incidents plunged 66% following the collapse of anti-Israel protest encampments that had driven a surge in 2024. Incidents tied to Israel or Zionism also declined, accounting for 45% of cases, down from 58% the year before.



Geographically, the highest number of incidents occurred in New York, followed by California, New Jersey, Florida and Pennsylvania. The ADL said the data shows that while overall activity has decreased, violence has become a more central feature of antisemitism in the United States.

ADL Says Antisemitic Assaults Hit Record High in 2025; Total Incidents Dropped

In the first Israeli strike on the Lebanese capital in weeks, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) carried out a targeted operation in Beirut, successfully eliminating the commander of Hezbollah’s elite Radwan Force.



The high-level operation marks a significant blow to the terror organization&#8217;s leadership structure. The Radwan Force, Hezbollah&#8217;s special operations unit, has been the primary driver behind the relentless cross-border attacks that have displaced tens of thousands of residents from northern Israel.



Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Israel Katz confirmed the authorization of the strike in a joint statement, emphasizing Israel&#8217;s unwavering commitment to neutralizing threats and restoring security to the northern border.



Joint Statement from the Prime Minister and Defense Minister: &#8220;In accordance with the approval of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Yisrael Katz, the IDF has just struck in Beirut the commander of the Radwan Force in the Hezbollah terrorist organization in order to eliminate him.



&#8220;Radwan Force terrorists, led by him, were responsible for firing at Israeli communities and harming IDF soldiers.



&#8220;No terrorist has immunity — Israel’s long arm will reach every enemy and murderer.



&#8220;We promised to bring security to the residents of the north — this is how we act, and this is how we will continue to act.&#8221; The targeted elimination reinforces the defense establishment&#8217;s stated objective of dismantling Hezbollah&#8217;s operational capabilities, specifically targeting the commanders responsible for the daily barrages on northern communities. The strike signals a firm continuation of Israel&#8217;s campaign to ensure the eventual safe return of evacuated residents to their homes.

IDF Strikes Beirut, Eliminates Commander of Hezbollah’s Elite Radwan Force

Asked about the timeframe for the United States and Iran to reach an agreement on a memorandum of understanding (MoU) permanently ending the war between them, U.S. President Donald Trump responded that it could take one week.



Speaking during a phone interview with Fox News, the president sounded cautiously optimistic regarding the potential diplomatic breakthrough. However, observers note that Mr. Trump has been known to offer varying timelines pertaining to the ongoing Iran talks during the unprompted phone calls he frequently takes from journalists.



The president&#8217;s timeframe follows a report by Axios earlier in the day, which indicated that the U.S. is expecting a response from Iran regarding the MoU within the next 48 hours. It remains unclear whether Trump is suggesting that an additional few days of negotiations would still be required following Tehran&#8217;s anticipated response.



The prospective agreement reportedly seeks to remove Iran’s highly enriched uranium and place a moratorium on all uranium enrichment for at least 12 years. Nevertheless, the deal would eventually permit limited enrichment and would not mandate the removal of Iran&#8217;s full nuclear stockpile.



Nuclear experts are closely analyzing the reality of dismantling Tehran&#8217;s nuclear infrastructure, particularly following the June 2025 war with Iran and the current conflict.



Analyst David Albright told Channel 12 the recent military conflicts “have changed the situation dramatically.&#8221; Albright noted that satellite imagery demonstrates that Israel “significantly” degraded Iran’s ability to manufacture nuclear weapons through past strikes, though he cautioned that “you can’t eliminate it a hundred percent.”



Addressing the potential removal of the full uranium stockpile, Albright stated that &#8220;given the destruction of [Iran’s] centrifuge program&#8221; during previous U.S. and Israeli military strikes, &#8220;we would really have years before we’d have to think about Iran enriching significant amounts of weapon-grade uranium.&#8221;



Ultimately, Albright emphasized the practical limitations of the current diplomatic efforts. “What you’re trying to do is lengthen the time and reduce the chance of success,” he explained. “If the goal is to eliminate a nuclear program to where it can never be reconstituted or rebuilt, I think that’s not a realistic goal.”

Trump Foresees One-Week Timeframe for U.S.-Iran Agreement; Experts Weigh Nuclear Implications

London police announced today that 100 extra officers will now patrol and help protect Jewish neighborhoods after the recent surge in antisemitic attacks, including arsons and the stabbing of two Jewish men last week.



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Metropolitan Police Commissioner Sir Mark Rowley warned that Jewish communities are facing “sustained threats” from extremist groups, as police revealed more than 80 arrests had been made in recent weeks tied to antisemitic incidents and terror investigations.



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British officials are also preparing new laws targeting Iran-linked groups accused of recruiting criminals online to attack Jewish and Israeli targets, with prosecutors warning: “If we allow this behavior to become normalized, then its seriousness will become diminished, and the problem of antisemitism will continue to grow.”

London Police Deploy 100 Extra Officers to Protect Jewish Neighbourhoods Amid Surge in Antisemitic Attacks

The IDF announced that 231 Charedi soldiers enlisted this week for combat roles and 131 for combat support positions, falling short of expectations for the latest recruitment cycle.



The IDF had expected roughly 300 combat recruits and 200 support recruits.

IDF: 231 Charedi Soldiers Join IDF Combat Units, 131 in Support Roles — Below Expected Numbers

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Liebers ad

White House Mideast envoy Steve Witkoff is scheduled to convene in Miami on Friday with top officials from Qatar, Egypt, and Turkey to address the stalled implementation of the second phase of the Gaza ceasefire, a White House official told The Times of Israel, confirming earlier reporting by Axios.



According to the report, the four mediating countries assess that both Israel and Hamas terrorists are deliberately slowing progress in order to avoid advancing to the deal’s next stage, and they are seeking to coordinate a unified strategy to press both sides to move ahead.



The talks mark the most senior-level gathering of ceasefire mediators since the agreement took effect in October. Participants are expected to include Qatari Prime Minister Mohammed bin Abdul Rahman al-Thani, Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan, and Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty.



The Miami meeting comes ahead of a planned discussion between Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and U.S. President Donald Trump at Mar-a-Lago on Monday, where the Gaza ceasefire is expected to be among the top issues on the agenda.

Screenshot_20251218_112036_Gallery

MORE FROM BELAAZ

Confirmed Report: Witkoff to Meet Mediators in Highest-Level Meeting Since Gaza Ceasefire

The Jewish community of Rego Park, Queens, awoke to a disturbing scene on Monday morning after multiple institutions, private homes, and a vehicle were targeted with antisemitic vandalism.



Spray-painted swastikas and the word &#8220;Hitler&#8221; were discovered defacing several properties throughout the neighborhood. Among the targeted communal locations were the Machaneh Chodosh shul and the Rego Park Jewish Center. 



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The hateful graffiti was also found tagged on a local preschool building, an act that has caused considerable distress for parents and educators arriving at the start of the week.



In addition to the communal and educational institutions, the vandals targeted private property. The spray-painted symbols were found on several neighborhood homes and at least one car parked in the area.



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The discovery of the graffiti on Monday morning prompted immediate concern and heightened security awareness within the Queens Jewish community. Incidents of this nature, involving the targeted vandalization of houses of worship and early childhood centers with hate symbols, are typically referred to the NYPD’s Hate Crime Task Force for investigation.



Authorities were notified as the community awaits further developments in identifying the perpetrators responsible for the desecration.



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City Council Speaker Julie Menin visited the scene of the incidents, and wrote on X: &#8220;When rabbis and congregants arrived to pray this morning, they expected to be met with their usual loving community. When a family woke up, they were prepared to begin an otherwise normal week. Instead, they were met with terrifying signals of hatred and threats of violence.



&#8220;We have visited some of these locations and are in contact with the NYPD, which is investigating and searching for at least four individuals responsible for the terrible incidents. The graffiti will be removed once the investigation is complete.&#8221;



&#8220;With antisemitism on the rise here and across the globe, we will always stand up for our Jewish community and fight back against hate.&#8221;



Queens Jewish Alliance head Sorolle Idels told Belaaz that &#8220;The fear is real. Hate isn’t isolated—it’s showing up regularly, here in NYC and beyond. Jews everywhere are feeling it.What will it take to feel safe? What can we do? Thank you to Speaker Menin, Council Members Schulman and Wong, the NYPD 112 pct, and Queens Shmira for being on the scene this morning.&#8221;



&#8220;Our mayor is notably absent.&#8221;



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Footage of the incident was first published by FreedomNews.

Swastikas and Antisemitic Graffiti Found on Shuls and Homes in Rego Park, Queens

The Buyaner Rebbe is leading the Lag Baomer Hadlakah in Meron tonight, Monday, joined by a limited crowd, amid strict security restrictions put in place by Prime Minister Netanyahu.



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WATCH LIVE: Buyan Lag Baomer Hadlakah in Meron

The United States military announced on Monday that two American-flagged merchant ships successfully navigated the Strait of Hormuz, marking the initial phase of a concerted effort to break the ongoing Iranian naval blockade in the region.



The initiative, dubbed “Project Freedom,” has positioned U.S. Navy guided-missile destroyers in the Arabian Gulf to assist in restoring vital maritime routes for global commercial shipping.



According to statements from U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM), the operation is currently functioning as a humanitarian extraction mission rather than a direct military confrontation. While the U.S. Navy is actively providing foreign commercial vessels with navigational intelligence &#8211; particularly regarding sea lanes free of Iranian mines &#8211; officials clarified that American warships are not currently providing direct escorts. Instead, a robust force comprising naval vessels, aircraft, and 15,000 troops remains &#8220;in the vicinity&#8221; and on high alert to intervene if Iranian forces attack the merchant ships.



The commencement of Project Freedom was immediately met with aggressive posturing and conflicting reports from Tehran. Iran’s Fars news agency claimed on Monday that Iranian forces fired two missiles at a U.S. warship near Jask Island after the vessel allegedly ignored Iranian warnings, forcing the American ship to retreat.



Furthermore, Iranian state media asserted that U.S. warships were actively prevented from entering the Strait. Iran’s Khatam al-Anbiya emergency headquarters issued a severe warning, stating: &#8220;We have declared that the security of the Strait of Hormuz is in the hands of Iranian forces&#8230; We warn that any foreign armed force, and especially the U.S. military, will be attacked if it attempts to approach or enter the Strait of Hormuz.&#8221;



However, a senior U.S. official firmly rejected these claims, confirming to Axios that no American vessels had been struck or damaged by Iranian fire.



The current parameters of Project Freedom reflect a strategic choice by President Donald Trump to avoid immediate military escalation. According to reports, President Trump rejected a significantly more aggressive strategy proposed on Thursday night by CENTCOM Commander Adm. Brad Cooper.



Adm. Cooper’s plan would have involved forcing passage through the Strait, pre-emptively striking any Iranian missile batteries or attack boats, and committing the U.S. to a broader conflict if Iran retaliated against Gulf nations. Frustrated by a stalemate that offered neither war nor a peaceful resolution, the President ultimately opted for a more measured approach.



A source close to the President noted to Israeli media that while the current operation lacks direct naval escorts, it serves as the &#8220;beginning of a process that could lead to a confrontation.&#8221; The source added, &#8220;If the Iranians do something, they will be the bad guys and we will have the legitimacy to act.&#8221;



Behind the scenes, diplomatic efforts to secure a lasting agreement are ongoing, though heavily complicated by Iranian internal dynamics. A senior U.S. official told Arutz 7 that offers are being exchanged, but progress is exceptionally slow due to the uncertain status of Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei. &#8220;They’re carrying messages by hand to caves or wherever he or whoever is hiding,&#8221; the official noted.



US Mideast Envoy Steve Witkoff remains a strong proponent of a diplomatic resolution and is reportedly pushing the President to stay the course on negotiations. However, the window for diplomacy may be narrowing. As one senior U.S. official starkly summarized, &#8220;It’s either we’re looking at the real contours of an achievable deal soon, or he’s going to bomb the [daylights] out of them.&#8221;



The blockade and subsequent military buildup have drawn sharp condemnation from regional allies. The United Arab Emirates issued a strong statement following an Iranian drone attack on an Emirati commercial ship in the Strait. &#8220;The Iranian aggression continues unabated, with acts of maritime piracy,&#8221; UAE presidential adviser Anwar Gargash stated on X. Gargash emphasized that Iran’s ongoing threat &#8220;to the security and stability of the region continues and cannot be ignored,&#8221; reaffirming the UAE&#8217;s steadfast commitment to upholding freedom of navigation in the vital international corridor.

U.S. Forces Initiate ‘Project Freedom’ to Break Iranian Blockade in Strait of Hormuz

Switzerland’s Federal Intelligence Service said Monday it will allow access to a long-sealed file on Nazi war criminal Josef Mengele, potentially shedding light on whether the Auschwitz doctor hid in or passed through Switzerland after World War II.



The move reverses a February 2026 decision denying access to the file. Swiss officials said the change came after confirming it had already been reviewed by the Bergier Commission, which investigated Switzerland’s actions during World War II. Under a 2001 government ruling, such files are meant to be opened under more lenient access rules. “The appellant will thus obtain access to the file under conditions and modalities still to be defined,” the Federal Intelligence Service said.



The appeal was brought by Bern historian Gérard Wettstein, who has been seeking access to the file through the Federal Administrative Court. His central question is whether Mengele was in Kloten, near Zurich, in 1961, and whether Swiss authorities failed to arrest one of the world’s most wanted Nazi fugitives.



Mengele, known as the “Angel of Death,” served as an SS doctor at Auschwitz, where he carried out selections and brutal medical experiments, especially on twins. After the war, he fled Europe, lived for years in South America, and died in Brazil in 1979 without facing trial.



The file, transferred to the Swiss Federal Archives in 2001, was previously expected to remain sealed until 2071 because the last documents were added in 1991, restarting an 80-year protection period. Its opening could now provide long-awaited answers about whether Switzerland was part of one of the most infamous Nazi escape routes.

Switzerland Opens Secret Mengele File on Possible Zurich Escape Route

A sweeping recycling proposal in New York would require many companies to eliminate plastic wrap from packaging, prompting critics to warn that essential items like diapers and toilet paper could be left vulnerable to damage.



The proposed Packaging Reduction and Recycling Infrastructure Act would mandate that companies earning more than $5 million annually reduce and eventually phase out non-reusable or toxic packaging, replacing it with environmentally friendly alternatives.



Similar packaging laws have already been implemented in several states, including Maryland, Maine, Oregon, Colorado, California, and Minnesota, as well as in certain countries.



Under the proposal, manufacturers would need to cut non-environmentally friendly packaging by 10% within three years and by 30% over a 12-year period.



The legislation would also require companies to ensure that at least 5% of their packaging is reusable or refillable by 2032, increasing to 10% by 2040 and 20% by 2055.



In addition, at least 25% of packaging would need to be recyclable by 2032, rising to 50% by 2040 and 75% by 2055.



“New York State must follow suit to meet the moment for environmental accountability,” said a memo supporting the bill, sponsored by Assemblywoman Deborah Glick and state Sen. Peter Harckham.



“This legislation shifts the onus of recycling and waste hauling for packaging from municipalities and residents and ensures that producers of products are serving our interests by establishing solutions to sustainable packaging,” the memo said.



The measure would impose financial penalties on companies that fail to meet the new standards, with the revenue directed toward recycling programs and infrastructure.



Industry representatives and supermarket groups argue the changes would force a shift from protective plastic to less effective paper packaging, increasing the risk of damaged goods.



“Even with its recent amendments it will eliminate the plastic film packaging that keeps essential products like toilet paper, paper towels, and diapers dry and sanitary,” Dan Felton, president and CEO of the Flexible Packaging Association told the NY Post.



“Without it, retailers and consumers face increased product damage, higher replacement costs, and less reliable shelf availability.



“We agree that we must improve recycling systems and reduce waste, but good public policy will also avoid higher costs and keep critical packaging in place to protect public health,” he said.



Nelson Eusebio of the National Supermarkets Association warned that even modest policy shifts could quickly raise costs for working-class communities.



“For independent supermarkets serving New York City’s working-class and minority communities, even modest shifts in packaging policy can quickly translate into higher costs for families,&#8221; he told the Post.



“When changes move forward without scalable, commercially viable alternatives, those costs ripple through the supply chain and affect prices at the register.”



A similar version of the bill cleared the state Senate last year but failed in the Assembly amid opposition from plastics manufacturers.



The legislation comes as Gov. Kathy Hochul negotiates with lawmakers over easing deadlines tied to the state’s 2019 climate law, which aims to transition from fossil fuels to renewable energy sources like solar, wind, and hydro power.



Lawmakers behind the bill said it has undergone significant revisions, with roughly 150 changes, including extended timelines for compliance and adjustments to restrictions on certain materials.



“The underlying challenge has not changed. New York is facing a growing solid waste and pollution crisis, and the Packaging Reduction and Recycling Infrastructure Act is a real solution that must be passed this year,” Glick said.



Harckham said the revised bill reflects input from industry stakeholders.



“We have forged a middle ground with these amendments to our bill, and now we are working to finally gain the necessary legislative and executive approvals that will save New Yorkers millions of dollars each year while helping to protect our environment,” he said.



The measure has gained support from multiple environmental organizations and the state Association of Counties, which argue that excessive plastic waste is overwhelming landfill capacity.



“New Yorkers are drowning in plastic waste, and for too long, taxpayers have been stuck with the bill while multi-billion-dollar companies pump toxic chemicals into our communities,” said Judith Enck, founder of Beyond Plastics and a former regional administrator for the US Environmental Protection Agency.



“These amendments are a major concession to the plastic industry, but the foundation of the bill remains important, necessary and impactful. We cannot afford another year of inaction.”



Business groups, however, maintain that the proposal would still impose heavy burdens on companies and consumers despite the revisions.



“This proposal includes requirements – such as stringent source reduction targets, material restrictions, and limited flexibility – that go well beyond those in EPR laws adopted by other states, most recently Minnesota, Washington, and Maryland,” a joint statement from the Business Council of New York State and the American Institute for Packaging and the Environment said.



“If adopted, this bill would impose significant operational challenges on business and result in significant impacts on consumer costs and product availability.”

New York Bill Targeting Plastic Packaging Sparks Fears Of Higher Costs, Damaged Goods

Israel believes Hezbollah is preparing to launch rockets toward the Meron area during Lag Baomer festivities, according to a report aired Sunday evening by Kan News, as heightened tensions continue surrounding the planned events.



Even though the main celebration at the kever of Rebbe Shimon bar Yochai has been called off, police are bracing for the possibility that extremist groups may still attempt to reach the area and clash with security forces. Officials are preparing for scenarios that could involve violence, including the potential use of tear gas.



As part of the security response, police have reached out to multiple bus companies, instructing them not to operate transportation to Meron. Authorities expect roads to be blocked, preventing access to the mountain and surrounding areas.



Separately, the three lighting ceremonies that had been scheduled for Monday may also be canceled due to severe weather conditions. Forecasts indicate that evening winds could reach speeds of up to 80 kilometers per hour, raising additional safety concerns.



Under the revised plan, only three lightings were initially approved this year &#8211; a major significant reduction from the usual 19 &#8211; with attendance capped at approximately 200 participants.

Report Warns Of Hezbollah Threat To Meron Celebrations

A handwritten siddur rooted in the teachings of Harav Yitzchak Luria, zt&#8221;l — the Arizal &#8211; will be displayed publicly for the first time beginning Lag B&#8217;Omer at the ANU Museum of the Jewish People in Tel Aviv.



The 16th-century manuscript, reproduced in the museum&#8217;s 18th century copy, is particularly fitting for the Lag B&#8217;Omer season. It was the Arizal who is chiefly credited with emphasizing the importance of the day, and the siddur preserves his kavanos — the meditative intentions composed to direct one&#8217;s thoughts during tefillah.



The siddur contains detailed written instructions for the kavanos alongside visual elements including diagrams and tables intended to guide the mispalel.



Written in ink on paper and bound in an ornate leather cover adorned with leather panels and gold leaf, the manuscript was copied by hand in 1749 in the town of Stanov — then part of Poland, today within Ukraine — by the sofer Yisrael ben Raphael Segal.

Rare Siddur With Kavanos Arizal Goes on Public Display for Lag B’Omer

Knesset Speaker Amir Ohana and Energy Minister Eli Cohen emerged as the top vote-recipients in an informal “mini-primary” held during the Likud party’s weekend “Likudiada” gathering in Eilat, offering an early glimpse into activist sentiment ahead of anticipated primaries in the coming months, as national elections are currently scheduled for October.



The event drew criticism for taking place while fighting with Hezbollah terrorists continues, including ongoing rocket and drone attacks on northern Israeli communities. Despite that backdrop, most cabinet members attended the weekend conference in the southern resort city.



Rounding out the top 10 in the informal vote were Transportation Minister Miri Regev, Science and Technology Minister Gila Gamliel, Justice Minister Yariv Levin, Defense Minister Yisrael Katz, Knesset Economics Committee chairman David Bitan, MK Sasson Guetta, Coalition Whip Ofir Katz, and MK Tally Gotliv.



Economy Minister Nir Barkat, who has previously pointed to internal polling showing him as a potential successor to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, placed 15th. Communications Minister Shlomo Karhi ranked 17th, while Education Minister Yoav Kisch finished in 20th place.



The results reflect the views of approximately 2,000 party activists who attended the conference, rather than the broader Likud membership of about 120,000. While the outcome offers insight into grassroots preferences, it is not considered a reliable predictor of primary results. In a previous conference in 2022, both Regev and Gamliel ranked highly in similar polling but ultimately secured lower positions on the party’s final list.



Even so, such rankings are closely followed within Likud circles as an early signal of internal support ahead of primaries that have yet to be officially scheduled.

Likud Conference Straw Poll Shows Ohana, Eli Cohen Leading

Some of the most notorious murderers in history &#8211; including the “Son of Sam” murderer David Berkowitz &#8211; could be eligible for release if two parole reform bills under consideration in Albany are approved, critics caution.



One proposal, known as the Elder Parole bill, would allow inmates convicted of violent crimes to seek early parole once they reach age 55 and have served at least 15 years, regardless of the severity of their offenses.



A second measure, the Fair and Timely Parole bill, would direct the state parole board to grant release to inmates unless they are deemed a current threat to public safety, placing less emphasis on the nature of their original crimes.



Both pieces of legislation could lead to the release of inmates serving life sentences, including those convicted of especially brutal killings.



“Consider some of the most heinous and noteworthy people in . . . prison today, they will undoubtedly be released within the next two years if these bills are signed into law,” a law enforcement source told the NY Post.



The Elder Parole bill is sponsored by Sen. Cordell Cleare of Harlem and Assemblywoman Maritza Davilla of Brooklyn.



Under that legislation, inmates granted parole would be placed under community supervision as though they had completed their full sentences. If denied parole, they must receive a written explanation detailing the reasons and would automatically become eligible again after two years.



That process would require victims’ families to repeatedly return to parole hearings to oppose the release of those convicted of killing their loved ones.



The Fair and Timely Parole bill is sponsored by state Sen. Julia Salazar and Assemblyman David Weprin.



The proposal would make it easier for inmates with strong disciplinary records behind bars to be released, regardless of the brutality of their crimes.



Advocacy group The People’s Campaign for Parole Justice says the bill would “provide more meaningful parole reviews.”



Raphael Mangual of the Manhattan Institute said momentum for the legislation appears to be building in Albany and could lead to passage this year.



“I think it’s a real risk, especially given the recent decline in crime in New York City,” he told the NY Post. “I think that might have led to a space where people might be more tolerant than they were five years ago of engaging in this kind of experiment.”



He added: “It really shouldn’t matter how well somebody behaves in prison. You should have behaved before you got there.



“You hear people who will say with very full confidence, including the advocates, that the likelihood of a person reoffending zeros out in older age,” he said. “No it doesn’t. A majority of state prisoners who are released will reoffend.”



One victim’s family member said the possibility of early release is deeply troubling.



“My brother was brutally tortured to death throughout the night,” Michael Pravia, whose 19-year-old brother Kevin was murdered in 2008 told the news outlet. “You know, I just feel like we’re living in a time where it feels like it’s another form of corruption, you know, letting these devils out of prison to harass the masses.



“They will have blood on their hands,” Pravia said of the legislators who pass the bills.



Pravia said his brother’s killer, Jeromie Cancel, showed no remorse.



“He was proud of his crimes,” he said.



Cancel laughed and smiled during his 2010 sentencing, prompting Pravia to shout, “I’ll&#8230;kill you!” in Manhattan Criminal Court.



“There is not one ounce of me that thinks he is rehabilitated or has the ability to be rehabilitated,” Pravia, 34, said Thursday. “I think he is truly a sociopath. He’s bragged that he would do it again.”



According to a law enforcement source, Cancel could be eligible for release under the Fair and Timely Parole bill if he maintains a clean disciplinary record in prison.



It remains unclear whether Gov. Kathy Hochul would sign or veto the measures if they reach her desk.



A spokesperson for Hochul told the Post the governor “is committed to ensuring the safety of New Yorkers and will review any bill that passes both houses of the Legislature.”



Republican gubernatorial candidate Bruce Blakeman strongly criticized the proposals and accused Hochul of enabling the release of violent offenders.



“Kathy Hochul has fast-tracked the release of violent criminals &#8211; even those who’ve killed police officers &#8211; and will certainly grant ‘get out of jail free’ cards to even more dangerous thugs,” he said. “The Hochul pro-criminal era ends the day I take office.”



Among those who could potentially benefit from the legislation is David McClary, who was convicted of killing NYPD Officer Edward Byrne in 1988 and is currently serving a 25-years-to-life sentence.



McClary, now 60, has been denied parole eight times since becoming eligible in 2013, requiring the victim’s family to repeatedly oppose his release.



The Police Benevolent Association has also pushed back against the bills, citing concerns over public safety and justice for victims.



PBA President Patrick Hendry told the Post, “Passing either of these bills would be a cruel and despicable blow to the families of our fallen heroes.



“There is no age and no formula that can absolve cop-killers of their heinous crimes or entitle them to rejoin society,” Hendry said. “We will fight tooth and nail alongside the families of our murdered police officers to ensure [these two bills] do not become law.”

New York Parole Bills Could Open Door For Notorious Killers’ Release

Israel Police officially announced Sunday morning that this year’s Lag BaOmer hillula at Meron will not take place in its traditional mass format, after authorities sealed roads leading to the mountain and barred public access to the Kever of Rabbi Shimon Bar Yochai due to escalating security threats in northern Israel. Under the restrictions, no private vehicles or buses will be allowed into Meron, including those carrying rebbeim or public officials, while entry to the town itself will be limited to residents and pre-authorized individuals presenting identification.



Instead of the usual gathering of tens of thousands, authorities approved a limited symbolic framework designed to preserve the traditional ceremonies under strict supervision. Three bonfires are scheduled to take place Monday night: the central bonfire of the Boyan Rebbe, a Sephardi ceremony led by Rabbi Shlomo Amar, and a third event associated with Dati Leumi rabbis. Each ceremony will reportedly be capped at 200 participants coordinated in advance by organizers, while livestream broadcasts from the Rashbi compound are also expected.



The decision came after Israeli officials spent days preparing a broader controlled-access framework that would have allowed approximately 37,500 worshippers to rotate through Meron over roughly 32 hours, with about 10,000 people permitted on the mountain at one time. But Home Front Command restrictions tightened sharply Friday, limiting outdoor gatherings in the area to 200 people and effectively collapsing the larger plan. Israeli officials cited Hezbollah rocket fire, explosive drone threats, and concerns that large crowds near the Lebanese border could not be evacuated quickly in the event of an attack.



Police and Border Police forces have now deployed extensively throughout the area, including forests and open areas surrounding the mountain, to prevent unauthorized arrivals by vehicle or on foot. In a sharp warning, police said they had been exposed to “serious and extremist publications calling on the public to equip themselves with assault equipment, pepper spray, and other means intended to harm police officers.”



“The forces will operate on the ground with one goal: protecting public safety and enforcing the law,” police said, adding that “any attempt to act violently against security forces or disturb public order will be met with a firm response and zero tolerance.”

Meron Hillula on Lag Ba’Omer Canceled as Three Symbolic Hadlakot Approved Under Tight Restrictions

A new study suggests artificial intelligence may be able to identify early warning signs of pancreatic cancer long before tumors can actually be seen through standard imaging, potentially opening a path to earlier and more effective treatment.



Researchers at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, have developed an AI system that was able to spot subtle abnormalities on CT scans up to three years before patients received a pancreatic cancer diagnosis, according to findings published in the journal Gut. The system is now undergoing evaluation in a clinical trial.



To build the model, scientists trained it on CT scans from patients who originally underwent imaging for unrelated health concerns but were later diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. Radiologists then reviewed the same scans, and their ability to detect early indicators was compared against the AI system. The results showed the AI outperformed human experts by a factor of three in identifying early warning signs.



Dr. Ajit Goenka, a radiologist at the Mayo Clinic and one of the study’s authors, explained the reasoning behind the research direction: “We knew, based on the biology of the disease, that this is not something which is coming all of a sudden in three months.” Goenka told NBC. “We knew that the signal was there. We just needed to find a way to be able to detect it,”



Pancreatic cancer remains one of the deadliest forms of cancer, with a five-year survival rate of just 13%. It is projected to become the second-leading cause of cancer-related deaths by 2030. Most patients roughly 80% are diagnosed only after the disease has already spread, limiting treatment options.



Unlike more commonly screened cancers such as breast or colon cancer, there is no standard screening test for pancreatic cancer in healthy individuals. The pancreas is also difficult to examine physically due to its deep abdominal location. Early symptoms like weight loss or abdominal pain typically appear only after the cancer has progressed significantly.



Doctors say that early-stage changes are extremely subtle and often invisible on imaging until the disease advances. In many cases, scans may appear completely normal just months before diagnosis.



“I analyze these images every day,” said Dr. Daniel Jeong, a diagnostic radiologist at Moffitt Cancer Center in Tampa, Florida, who was not involved in the Mayo Clinic research and told NBC News. “We’re really looking for a measurable mass that could represent the cancer. So these tumors need to grow to a certain level to become visible.”



Researchers behind the AI model believe one of the signals it detects involves abnormal cellular activity in the pancreas that helps shield cancer from immune system detection, something previously known in theory but difficult to observe on scans.



Goenka noted that the technology may be especially useful for high-risk individuals, such as those with genetic predisposition or diabetes, even before symptoms appear. In such cases, additional testing like blood work or advanced imaging could follow a positive AI signal.



“Unfortunately, if they have symptoms and if it’s truly pancreas cancer, you don’t need AI for that,” he said.



The AI system is part of a broader wave of innovation in pancreatic cancer research. Recent developments include an experimental mRNA vaccine that showed early survival benefits in a small patient group, as well as a targeted drug, daraxonrasib, which has been shown to extend life expectancy in later-stage trials. Regulators have also begun allowing expanded access to the drug in controlled settings for patients who have exhausted other options.



At the same time, scientists are working on advanced blood-based tests designed to detect early biological markers of the disease before symptoms emerge.



“We’re making, actually, major strides. It hasn’t turned this disease around,” Dr. Tamas Gonda, director of the pancreatic disease program at NYU Langone’s Perlmutter Cancer Center told NBC News.



Experts say earlier detection could significantly expand treatment options, allowing more patients to qualify for surgery, chemotherapy, or radiation before the disease spreads.



“This really could be a game changer for us for early detection,” Dr. Pam Hodul, a surgical oncologist at Moffitt Cancer Center, told NBC News.



AI is also gaining traction in other areas of medicine. In a separate study published in Science, researchers found that AI systems matched or exceeded physicians in diagnosing emergency room cases, further highlighting its diagnostic potential.



Despite the promising results, researchers caution that widespread clinical use is still years away. The ongoing trial will need to track patients over several years to determine how accurately the model predicts future cancer development.



“In a disease where we have been just wandering in darkness for decades, this is a milestone that shows us the finish line, but we still have to get to the finish line,” he said.

AI Breakthrough Detects Pancreatic Cancer Years Before It Becomes Visible on Scans

European leaders urged the continent to strengthen its own defenses Saturday after the Pentagon announced plans to remove roughly 5,000 American troops from Germany.



The decision followed comments from German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, who said the United States had been “humiliated” by Iran. His remarks intensified tensions with Washington and came after weeks of frustration from President Donald Trump over what he sees as insufficient European support for the escalating conflict in the Middle East.



The move arrives amid widening disagreements between the United States and its European partners. Strains across the Atlantic have already been fueled by tariff disputes, pressure from Washington on Ukraine to negotiate concessions with Russia, and Trump’s earlier push to gain control of Greenland, a semiautonomous territory belonging to NATO member Denmark.



German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius said the withdrawal had not come as a surprise.



“That the U.S. would withdraw troops from Europe and also from Germany was foreseeable,” he said Saturday.



Pistorius noted that close to 40,000 U.S. troops remain stationed in Germany, making it the largest American military presence in Europe and a critical logistical center for operations across the region.



“We Europeans must assume more responsibility for our security,” he added. “Germany is on the right track.”



According to Pistorius, Germany has already begun expanding its military capabilities by increasing procurement efforts, investing in innovation and strengthening infrastructure.



Trump has repeatedly criticized NATO members and several European governments, including Germany, for what he considers weak or nonexistent backing of his military campaign against Iran. He has also threatened to remove the United States from NATO altogether, while members of his administration have argued that alliances with European partners cannot continue as a “one-way street.”



Speaking to reporters Saturday evening at Palm Beach International Airport, Trump suggested the reduction could go beyond the planned withdrawal.



&#8220;We&#8217;re going to cut way down, and we&#8217;re cutting a lot further than 5,000,&#8221; the president said.



The announcement triggered a mix of concern and cautious realism across European capitals and within NATO headquarters in Brussels.



NATO spokesperson Allison Hart said alliance officials were coordinating with Washington to gain clarity on the troop reduction plans.



“This adjustment underscores the need for Europe to continue to invest more in defense and take on a greater share of the responsibility for our shared security,” she said.



Hart also pointed out that NATO members had already committed last year to spending 5% of their GDP on defense.



Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk warned that growing separation between Europe and the United States could have dangerous consequences.



“The greatest threat to the transatlantic community are not its external enemies, but the ongoing disintegration of our alliance,” Tusk wrote Saturday on X.



Poland, which borders the eastern flank of NATO and depends heavily on the alliance as a safeguard against Russian aggression tied to the war in neighboring Ukraine, has been especially sensitive to shifts in U.S. military policy.



British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, who has faced personal criticism from Trump over Britain’s limited support for the Iran conflict, stopped short of directly addressing the troop withdrawal during a BBC interview Saturday. Still, he acknowledged that Europe lacked sufficient strength and leadership.



“We need Britain at the heart of a stronger Europe on defense,” Starmer said, adding that he hoped relations with European neighbors could improve after years of tension linked to Brexit.



Michał Matlak, a senior fellow at the European University Institute and director of the Institute for Innovation and Technology in Warsaw, said the decision was consistent with a broader shift in trans-Atlantic relations.



“This is not a turning point, I’d say, but another step toward a trans-Atlantic divorce,” Matlak said.



He argued that removing 5,000 troops would not dramatically affect U.S. military operations or Europe’s overall security environment because of the large American presence that still remains on the continent. However, he said the decision would likely be viewed as “yet another warning sign.”



Former U.S. Ambassador to NATO Kurt Volker said the withdrawal appeared intended as a political message aimed at Germany rather than a major strategic military change.



Both Europe and the United States still benefit from maintaining a strong American military footprint in Germany, Volker said.



“We’re all going to live beyond the Trump era, and I hope that NATO lives beyond the Trump era as well,” he added.



American troops remain stationed across more than a dozen European countries, with Germany, Italy and Britain hosting the largest deployments. U.S. European Command coordinates military operations throughout the region in partnership with NATO allies.



The Pentagon announced Friday that the withdrawal process would unfold over the next six to twelve months. A defense measure approved by Congress last year prevents the Pentagon from reducing the overall number of U.S. troops in Europe below 76,000.



Matlak said European governments have increasingly recognized the need to rely less heavily on Washington for security, though disagreements remain over how that transition should happen.



“How strong should the separation be between the U.S. and Europe? What should be the role of European institutions? What should be the role of NATO? What should be the role of national armies? There are differences here, and that’s the critical issue, not the realization of the gravity of the situation and the need for Europe to rearm itself,” Matlak said.



“This is clear, and there is a consensus here, and obviously President Trump helped in getting there, because even most pro-Atlantic countries are now very reluctant and cautious when it comes to the role of the U.S.”



I rewrote the article with a stronger headline, reworded every paragraph, and preserved all direct quotes exactly as requested.

Europe on Edge as U.S. Troop Withdrawal Deepens Fears of a Fracturing Alliance

Tensions between the United States and the Islamic Republic of Iran are escalating rapidly, with President Donald Trump warning that the U.S. could resume military strikes as the ceasefire appears increasingly fragile. In response, senior Iranian officials have openly stated that a renewed conflict is highly probable.



The developments follow a tenuous ceasefire reached on April 8, which paused a war between the U.S., Israel, and Iran that commenced on February 28. However, with Iran continuing aggressive maneuvers in the Strait of Hormuz and diplomatic efforts stalling, the region remains on the brink of wider conflict.



Speaking to reporters in West Palm Beach, Florida, President Trump expressed deep skepticism regarding a recent ceasefire proposal from Iran, which was delivered via intermediaries in Pakistan. The President indicated that he was “not satisfied” with the offer from Tehran.



Trump noted he “can’t imagine it would be acceptable in that they have not yet paid a big enough price for what they have done to Humanity, and the World, over the last 47 years.”



Asked what might trigger new military action, the President kept options open. “If they misbehave, if they do something bad, but right now, we’ll see,” he stated. “But it’s a possibility that could happen, certainly.”



The President described the Iranian leadership as “very disjointed,” adding, “They all want to make a deal, but they’re all messed up.” Senator Lindsey Graham has also urged the administration to take decisive action to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, suggesting the U.S. should “finish the job” with additional strikes if Tehran’s provocations continue. 



The conflict has severely impacted global shipping, sending oil prices surging past $100 per barrel. Iran effectively closed the critical Strait of Hormuz—which typically handles 20% of the world’s oil and natural gas trade—following the outbreak of war.



​Despite the U.S. launching a naval blockade on April 13 to prevent Iranian tankers from leaving and deprive the regime of oil revenue, Tehran has attempted to establish a “tollbooth” system. Iran has reportedly demanded up to $2 million per vessel to secure safe passage through alternative routes.



In a brazen escalation, the speaker of Iran’s Parliament announced that the body intends to pass a law barring Israeli vessels from the Strait entirely, while requiring ships from “hostile” countries to pay for permits.



Senior officials within Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) have responded to U.S. pressure with defiance: Mohammad Jafar Asadi, a high-level IRGC officer, predicted that a “renewed conflict between Iran and the United States is likely.”



Ali Rafiei Atani, an IRGC commander, taunted U.S. forces, stating: “We hope America makes a mistake and tests its power on the ground as well. It was defeated at sea and in the air, and we would like it to test itself on the ground too.”



The U.S. government has taken strict measures to counter Iran&#8217;s financial extortion in the region and bolster allied defenses.



The U.S. Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) issued a stark warning to shipping companies regarding the payment of Iranian “tolls.” 



Violators face steep consequences: Fines of up to $1 million and up to 20 years in prison. The warning covers all forms of payment, including cash, digital assets, and even charitable donations made at Iranian embassies.



Concurrently, the State Department sanctioned a Chinese petroleum terminal operator, Qingdao Haiye Oil Terminal Co., Ltd., to further disrupt Iran’s illicit oil trade.



To ensure regional stability, Secretary of State Marco Rubio invoked an emergency declaration to bypass standard congressional review, approving $8.6 billion in arms sales to key U.S. allies. The approved packages include: Israel, Qatar, and the UAE: Advanced Precision Kill Weapon System (APKWS) laser-guided weapons.



Qatar: $4 billion to restock Patriot missile defenses.



Kuwait: A $2.5 billion Integrated Battle Command System.



Meanwhile, U.S. Central Command continues to enforce its naval blockade in the Arabian Sea, with 48 commercial ships reportedly turned around since the operation began. President Trump has also ordered the Navy to conduct operations to clear Iranian mines from the strait.



Meanwhile, Iran is simultaneously escalating threats and signaling diplomatic outreach. Tehran&#8217;s ambassador to Cairo warned that if the war continues without a political resolution, Iran reserves the &#8220;right to compensate itself&#8221; by seizing control of the Strait of Hormuz, citing its coastline stretching over 1,000 kilometers along the waterway. 



At the same time, Iran claims to have submitted an updated negotiating proposal through Pakistan, demanding sanctions relief, the unfreezing of assets, and financial compensation — declaring the &#8220;ball is in America&#8217;s court,&#8221; while insisting it will not come to the table under military threat.

U.S. Weighs Resuming Strikes on Iran Amid Standoff Over Strait of Hormuz

Students at The New School in Manhattan voted Friday to strip funding from the campus Hillel chapter, a move critics condemned while university officials said has no binding authority.



The student senate approved the measure by majority vote, declaring Hillel “not in good standing” and alleging ties to “grave violations of international law” through its connection to Israel-related programming, according to the New York Post.



Hillel is an international Jewish campus organization with hundreds of chapters across the United States, providing religious, social, and cultural support for Jewish students.



In a lengthy report, student leaders argued that programs involving trips to Israel, including volunteer opportunities on military bases, make the broader student body &#8220;complicit&#8221; because student activity fees help fund campus groups.



“To continue to fund Hillel at the New School would mean that your student fees would be used to support violations of international law,” the statement says. “Our shared values require us to enforce our policies until Hillel agrees to affirm and abide by international law.”



The report also criticized participation in Birthright Israel trips.



University officials pushed back later Saturday, stating the vote does not carry administrative power.



“The student senate does not have the authority to determine the recognition, funding eligibility, or official status of registered student organizations. That authority rests with university administration,” a spokesperson said.



“Our Hillel chapter remains, as it always has been, in good standing, eligible for funding, and supporting Jewish life at The New School.”



It remains unclear whether the university will take disciplinary action against the student senators involved.



Jewish leaders and elected officials sharply criticized the vote. Mark Treyger, CEO of the Jewish Community Relations Council of New York, said the move unfairly targets Jewish students.



“Hillel is not a political organization,” Treyger said, calling the decision “disgraceful and dangerous.”



“To target Hillel is to target Jewish identity and Jewish belonging on campus,” he continued. “Jewish students should not be forced to justify their identity, heritage, or communal spaces in order to participate in campus life. At a moment of rising antisemitism across the country, stripping recognition or funding from Jewish student life sends a chilling and unacceptable message.”



City Council Member Eric Dinowitz also condemned the vote.



“This is a direct attack on Jewish life on campus,” he wrote. “The New School must not allow the student senate to be weaponized to target their Jewish population.”



Jewish alumni voiced outrage as well, with some criticizing the university’s handling of the situation and warning of broader consequences.



Hillel International CEO Adam Lehman said Jewish students will continue to have access to the organization.



“Demonizing Hillel with false charges rooted in age-old antisemitic tropes is wrong, plain and simple,” Lehman said.



The New School’s Hillel chapter serves roughly 700 Jewish students, with modest student fees typically allocated to support campus programming.



While this marks the first known vote of its kind, similar efforts to cut ties with Hillel have surfaced at other universities following the October 7, 2023 attacks, including protests and boycott calls on multiple campuses.

New School Students Vote To Defund Hillel, School Says Move Has No Authority

Spirit Airlines ceased operations at 3 a.m. Saturday after last-ditch efforts to secure a government bailout failed, bringing an abrupt end to more than three decades of low-cost air travel. The shutdown stranded passengers worldwide and left more than 17,000 direct and indirect employees without jobs.



In the final hours Friday, travelers continued boarding flights unaware the airline was preparing to close. 



As operations wound down, the airline canceled international routes to avoid leaving crews and planes overseas, and still carried more than 50,000 passengers in its final full day.



Negotiations collapsed after bondholders rejected a proposed bailout from the Trump administration worth up to $500 million. The plan would have given the federal government a dominant stake in the airline and priority over other creditors.



By early Saturday, Spirit’s website and app displayed a stark message: &#8220;To our Guests: all flights have been cancelled, and customer service is no longer available.&#8221;



Airports that once bustled with the airline’s signature yellow branding fell quiet within hours. Terminals emptied, kiosks shut down, and employees were sent home early as operations ceased worldwide.



Other carriers, including United, American, Southwest, JetBlue, and Frontier, moved quickly to accommodate stranded passengers, capping fares and adding flights. United alone said roughly 14,000 Spirit customers rebooked with the airline on Saturday.



For flight crews, the shutdown created chaotic and emotional scenes. One captain, Jon Jackson, missed his scheduled retirement flight and instead flew home on another airline, where he was greeted with a water cannon salute and applause upon arrival.



Spirit’s downfall followed years of mounting financial strain. Though profitable in the 2010s, the airline had not turned a profit since 2019. It faced fierce competition from larger carriers, rising costs, a blocked merger attempt, aircraft engine issues, and surging fuel prices tied to the war in Iran.



The company had also filed for bankruptcy twice in recent years, with analysts saying it failed to make deep enough structural changes to survive.



Labor leaders warned the impact would fall heavily on workers rather than executives. &#8220;The pain of this decision will not be felt in boardrooms. It will be felt by pilots, flight attendants, mechanics, dispatchers, and ground crews, and by the families and communities that depend on them,&#8221; said Air Line Pilots Association president Jason Ambrosi.



Union officials are now pushing for compensation and federal support for displaced workers. &#8220;Standard unemployment coverage does not replace full wages, and this enhanced support would help stabilize households while workers secure new employment,&#8221; said Sara Nelson, president of the Association of Flight Attendants.



Democratic Sen. Elizabeth Warren is facing criticism following the shutdown, with opponents arguing her support for blocking the JetBlue-Spirit merger may have contributed to the airline’s collapse. Warren had praised regulators in 2024 for stopping the deal, warning it would reduce competition and raise fares, but critics now say the failed merger weakened Spirit’s chances of survival. Warren defended her position after the shutdown, blaming rising fuel costs and broader economic pressures, while others, including Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy, argued the merger should have been allowed to preserve competition.



Despite its struggles, Spirit maintained a loyal customer base drawn to its ultra-low fares. Industry analysts described it as a pioneer of discount travel, even as it became known for bare-bones service and frequent criticism.



In its final moments, the airline’s end played out in real time over radio transmissions and internal messages. As one American Airlines employee told a Spirit crew: &#8220;Good luck to you all,&#8221; adding, &#8220;Sorry to hear what happened.&#8221;



On one of the final flights, a pilot asked air traffic control if any other Spirit planes were still inbound.



&#8220;I don&#8217;t see anything,&#8221; the controller replied. &#8220;So you might be the last one.&#8221;

Spirit Airlines Shuts Down Overnight After Bailout Collapse, Ending 34-Year Run

With sadness we report the petirah of Harav Chaim Yisroel Abadi, Zt&#8221;l, the pioneering mechanech and rov whose life&#8217;s work transformed the landscape of at-risk youth outreach in America.



The founder of Minyan Shelanu &#8211; known throughout Lakewood simply as &#8220;The Minyan&#8221; &#8211; and its sister program, The Chill for girls, Rav Abadi dedicated himself for over two decades to young men and women whom others had given up on.



Rav Abadi was niftar over Shabbos following a difficult illness.



In his final days, he was being treated at the University of Pennsylvania hospital, where his condition worsened. The broader community had rallied around him earlier in the week, when a special atzeres tefillah was convened at his shul, with divrei chizuk from Harav Uren Reich shlita, rosh yeshiva of Yeshiva Ohr Zechariah.



Rav Abadi came to Lakewood in an earlier era, when the city bore little resemblance to the sprawling Torah community it has since become. Even then, he saw what few others were willing to confront: that a growing number of young people were being lost, unable to find their footing within the standard frameworks of frum life. His response was to build something different.



Minyan Shelanu, which he established in 2001, was conceived as a refuge — a place where a teenager in crisis could walk through the door without fear of judgment. Through structured programming, one-on-one mentorship, and an atmosphere of unconditional acceptance, the institution became a genuine lifeline. Hundreds of young people who might otherwise have drifted away entirely instead found their way back, going on to build stable, fulfilling lives. Many credit Rav Abadi personally with saving them.



His petirah comes just five months after that of his father, Harav Yitzchak Abadi, zt&#8221;l, a giant of psak halacha who stood among the foundational figures of Lakewood&#8217;s formative years.



His levaya will be at 10:00 a.m. at Minyan Shelanu, located at 145 ocean ave. (Route 88).



Yehi zichro baruch. 



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BDE: Harav Chaim Yisrael Abadi, Zt”l

The UN Plaza Grill, a prestigious kosher restaurant long favored by diplomats, organizational leaders, and communal figures for high-end political meetings and formal dinners, will no longer be certified kosher, a source at the Orthodox Union &#8211; which certified the restaurant, tells Belaaz.



The OU is expected to issue a formal alert shortly, the source said.



Reports indicate that the decision stems from financial difficulties facing the restaurant.



The loss of the certification marks the end of an era for a venue that occupied a unique niche in New York&#8217;s kosher dining landscape. 



Situated near the United Nations in Trump World Tower, UN Plaza Grill served for years as one of the rare upscale kosher options capable of hosting the kind of high-profile gatherings that Orthodox Jewish communal and organizational life increasingly demands — from meetings between Jewish advocacy groups and foreign diplomats to fundraising dinners for major institutions. For observant Jews navigating the world of high-level diplomacy and politics in New York, the restaurant provided a setting where kashrus could be guaranteed.



In a fitting farewell, Wednesday evening&#8217;s final kosher meal at the restaurant brought together Rep. Elise Stefanik, who addressed the Israel Justice Organization about her new book, Israeli Ambassador to the UN Danny Danon, and Jonathan Burkan. Photos from the evening were shared exclusively with Belaaz.



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UN Plaza Grill to Lose Kosher Certification Amid Financial Difficulties

Netanyahu signed emergency restrictions today limiting gatherings in Meron ahead of Lag BaOmer after new intelligence warnings and a rocket impact near the site yesterday caused renewed discussions.



Under the restrictions, outdoor gatherings in the Meron area will be capped at 200 people and indoor gatherings at 600 people through Monday evening, effectively preventing the mass crowds and large Hadlaka events originally planned for the hillula.



Additionally, thousands of Jews had already arrived in Meron for Shabbos in preparation for Lag BaOmer.

PM Netanyahu Caps Lag Baomer in Meron Outdoor Gatherings at 200 Amid Security Threats

A man has been convicted of planning a terrorist attack at the Embassy of Israel in London, following an investigation by Counter Terrorism Policing London, authorities announced Friday.



Abdullah Sabah Albadri, 34, a homeless man, attempted to gain entry to the Israeli diplomatic mission in the Kensington neighborhood on April 28 of last year, armed with two knives. Armed officers from the Metropolitan Police&#8217;s Parliamentary and Diplomatic Protection Command intervened swiftly, preventing Albadri from scaling the embassy gates before any harm could be done.



Body-worn camera footage from the arrest captured Albadri telling officers he had &#8220;weapons&#8221; and intended to &#8220;make a crime&#8221; inside the Embassy. Two knives with red-and-white handles were recovered from his pockets. He was also found carrying a martyrdom note stating his intention to die, in his words, &#8220;for the glory of God.&#8221;



Investigators determined that Albadri had planned the attack as an act of revenge against the Israeli government over its military operations in Gaza. In the five days preceding the attack, he had searched multiple Arabic terms relating to suicide and martyrdom online — a marked departure from his prior search history, which had centered on his attempts to secure asylum status. Albadri had entered the United Kingdom illegally on a small boat from France on April 12, 2025.



CCTV footage recovered by investigators showed Albadri walking the entire distance from Kilburn in northwest London to the embassy in Kensington on the day of the attack, wearing a red-and-white scarf wrapped around his head and mouth and sunglasses.



Following a two-week trial at the Old Bailey, Albadri was convicted of one count of preparation of terrorist acts under the Terrorism Act 2006, and two counts of possession of a bladed article. Sentencing is scheduled for a later date.



Commander Helen Flanagan, Head of Counter Terrorism Policing London, praised the responding officers, noting that their rapid intervention prevented what could have been a deadly incident. &#8220;Those officers responded within seconds,&#8221; she said, adding that the subsequent investigation secured the evidence needed for the conviction.



Commander Flanagan also acknowledged that the embassy has faced multiple security alerts in recent times, and said Counter Terrorism Policing continues to work closely with the Embassy and Metropolitan Police colleagues to review and strengthen protective security arrangements.

Man Convicted of Plotting Terror Attack at Israeli Embassy in London

Iran has delivered a new response to U.S. amendments on a draft framework to end the ongoing conflict, a regional source confirmed Thursday, offering a fresh signal that diplomatic channels have not gone entirely dark even as the Trump administration simultaneously weighs military options.



The development follows a proposal Iran put forward last weekend to reopen the Strait of Hormuz and end the war, with nuclear negotiations deferred to a later stage.



Washington rejected the Iranian proposal. On Monday, White House envoy Steve Witkoff sent a list of amendments aimed at reinserting the nuclear issue directly into the draft text. Among the conditions Witkoff sought was a commitment from Iran not to attempt to move enriched uranium out of its bombed nuclear facilities, or resume any activity at those sites, for the duration of the negotiations.



Iran&#8217;s response to those amendments was transmitted to the U.S. on Thursday via Pakistani mediators. Iranian state media confirmed the transmission as well.



The exchange reflects a fundamental tension that has defined the post-ceasefire diplomatic phase. Iran has proposed de-escalation in the Persian Gulf without immediately placing restraints on its nuclear program, while Washington has insisted that the nuclear file cannot be separated from any broader agreement.



Speaking to reporters in the Oval Office Thursday, President Trump offered a characteristically oblique assessment of the state of play. &#8220;Nobody knows what the talks are except myself and a couple of other people,&#8221; Trump said. &#8220;They want to make a deal badly. We have a problem because nobody knows for sure who the leaders are. It&#8217;s a little bit of a problem.&#8221;



Tehran, for its part, has sought to project the opposite image — claiming it is the American side that is eager for a resolution. Behind the scenes, the administration&#8217;s two-track approach — diplomacy and military contingency planning — was on full display Thursday afternoon.



Trump convened a roughly 45-minute session with his top national security team in the White House Situation Room, attended by Vice President JD Vance, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, CIA Director John Ratcliffe, and Witkoff.



CENTCOM commander Adm. Brad Cooper and Joint Chiefs Chairman Gen. Dan Caine briefed those present on updated plans for potential military action against Iran, according to two U.S. officials.



The Strait of Hormuz remains at the center of the standoff. The waterway, which in peacetime carries roughly one-fifth of the world&#8217;s oil and liquefied natural gas supplies, has been closed by Iran, driving up global energy prices and disrupting supply chains. Neither side has removed its respective blockade — Iran&#8217;s closure of the strait and the U.S. naval blockade of Iranian ports imposed after the April ceasefire.



Whether Thursday&#8217;s Iranian response represents a meaningful step toward a comprehensive agreement or merely another round in a prolonged exchange of competing drafts remains unclear. The White House did not immediately comment on the substance of Iran&#8217;s latest reply.

Iran Responds to U.S. Amendments on Draft Peace Framework

A devastating tragedy struck the Williamsburg community Friday morning when 9-year-old Yoel Jacobowitz, z&#8221;l, was killed after being struck by a school bus at the corner of Lorimer Street and Lee Avenue, while on his way to learn at Talmud Torah Satmar.



The child is a son of R&#8217; Naftali Hertzka Jacobowitz.



Volunteers from Chesed Shel Emes and Shomrim responded to the scene, working to preserve the kavod hameis in the presence of the authorities and to assist the grieving family.



The levayah will be held at the Satmar beis hachaim in New Jersey.



Yehi zichro baruch.



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Tragedy in Williamsburg: 9-Year-Old Niftar After Being Struck by School Bus

Following the stabbing in the Golders Green neighborhood of London, a State Department official tells Belaaz that because one of the victims is an American citizen, the United States is now involved in the investigation. 



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The official said that the FBI, DOJ, and State Department are coordinating to ensure the American victim is taken care of and that the United Kingdom takes proper steps to prevent such incidents in the future. The source tells Belaaz that U.S. officials believe England is not doing enough to combat antisemitism.



The source also revelaed to Belaaz that the department of justice (DOJ) is looking into getting a major player in the UK indicted and that an indictment may be announced soon. The source did not provide more details on who this person is or the reason fot the indicment.



Meanwhile in other news: Two UK Green Party candidates were arrested over alleged anti-Semitic posts: 



The wo Green Party candidates in South London were arrested yesterday over alleged antisemitic posts. Saiqa Ali was detained for sharing an image of an armed Hamas fighter, while Sabine Mairey was arrested for a post suggesting an attack on a synagogue was &#8220;revenge.&#8221; 





Both jew haters were removed from party campaign sites as police investigate the stirring up of hatred.

EXCLUSIVE: U.S. Intervenes in London Stabbing Attack as US Officials Criticize U.K.’s Handling of Antisemitism

Surveillance footage released Thursday appears to show a police K-9 detecting suspicious activity moments before alleged gunman Cole Allen stormed toward the White House Correspondents’ Dinner, only for the dog to be pulled away seconds before the chaos unfolded.



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Video made public Thursday by the Justice Department shows a handler guiding a security dog toward the entrance of a stairwell that prosecutors say Allen later used to approach the event armed with a shotgun, knives, and additional weapons.



The dog can be seen pausing at the doorway for several seconds before moving away after what appears to be a tug from its handler. Moments later, the animal briefly turns back toward the entrance again. The footage contains no audio.



Just after the handler and dog leave the area, Allen is captured sprinting through the doorway and past a nearby metal detector while carrying a shotgun. In the footage, the K-9 handler then appears to move his hand toward his right side, near where a holstered weapon may have been positioned.



Security experts and critics are now questioning whether the footage exposes another major lapse in protection at the high-profile event attended by President Trump, Vice President JD Vance, and other senior government officials.



“The dog obviously knew something was going on and for whatever reason his handler pulled him away,” said Tom Fitton, president of Judicial Watch. His group has slammed security lapses like protesters who accosted President Trump during a lunch outing last year. It sued for documents from the 2024 assassination attempt on Trump in Butler, Pa.



Fitton added that Allen “probably had the shotgun at the very moment and the dog was onto him. Did the handler see that there was something there? I don’t think by any stretch can this be seen as anything other than a failure by the Secret Service to secure the area around the president,” Fitton said.



Former Assistant FBI Director Chris Swecker also criticized the response shown in the footage.



“It looks like the handler pulls the dog back enough for him to open the door and run right past him,” said former Assistant FBI Director Chris Swecker.



Swecker said the K-9 “was focused on that door” and argued that officers assigned to the multi-agency security operation should have been monitoring entrances and stairwells leading to the dinner venue.



“If he’s brandishing a shotgun, you know, a peek on the other side? A little bit of curiosity might have . . . this is ordinary protection. This is not extraordinary protection. That’s what you need at this stage,” he said.



“What we do know is they didn’t look on the other side of the door, it doesn’t appear, and identify whoever was getting the dog’s attention. And then they gave them enough, plenty of opening, to just run right past him.”



The U.S. Secret Service has not answered questions regarding the footage or clarified whether the K-9 involved belonged to the agency or another law enforcement department assisting with security.



Meanwhile, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia, which charged Allen with attempting to assassinate President Trump, said it had “nothing additional to provide at this time.”



Additional surveillance footage released by investigators allegedly shows Allen scouting the Washington Hilton after checking into the hotel on Friday, April 24, one day before the shooting occurred.



Federal prosecutors and investigators continue examining the incident, though officials have released little additional information about the K-9 encounter shown in the footage.



A White House official confirmed that Chief of Staff Susie Wiles met Monday with Secret Service Director Sean Curran. On the same day, Curran also met with Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Charles Grassley and ranking member Sen. Richard Durbin, according to a post shared online by Grassley.



Swecker suggested that visible weaknesses in security may have emboldened Allen to move forward with the attack described in his manifesto.



“What emboldened this guy was he did a walk around, and he checked in, and he said, ‘Wow, I can get through this.’ Security is about deterrence as much as anything else,” said Swecker.

K-9 Warning Missed? Footage Raises Fresh Questions About Security Breakdown at White House Correspondents’ Dinner

The body of R’ Nochum Eber z”l, of Boro Park &#8211; who was killed in Colombia &#8211; was released to his family Wednesday night after a diplomatic push by the United States Embassy in Bogotá and the State Department&#8217;s Office to Combat Antisemitism, Belaaz has learned.



Ambassador Rabbi Yehuda Kaploun, Special Envoy to Monitor and Combat Antisemitism confirmed to Belaaz that his office worked in coordination with the American Embassy in Colombia to press local authorities to release the body. Colombian prosecutors signed off on the release late Wednesday night, and the body was transferred to the family early Thursday morning.



&#8220;The US Embassy in Colombia, together with the Office to Combat Antisemitism, worked diligently to have the body released to the family,&#8221; Kaploun said.



R&#8217; Nochum, an American citizen, had been in Colombia at the time of his death. The circumstances of his killing remain under investigation. Kaploun said the top priority was securing Eber’s release, and rhat determining the nature of the attack was secondary. &#8220;I needed to get the body released,&#8221; he said.



Sadly, the NY Post reported that while all of R&#8217; Nochum&#8217;s body was recovered, it was not whole.



Sources familiar with the case told Belaaz that suspicion has been raised about a possible conspiracy against R&#8217; Nochum. The American government is treating the matter seriously given that the victim held U.S. citizenship.



&#8220;It&#8217;s an American citizen, so therefore different things change,&#8221; the official said, indicating that the victim&#8217;s status as a U.S. national has expanded the American government&#8217;s ability to be involved in the case.



Footage released Thursday shows the last time R&#8217; Nochum was seen.



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According to the NY Post, R&#8217; Nochum was in Columbia to help advise a group of former Catholics who had converted to Judaism.



The victim&#8217;s family, community, and officials were grateful for the swift diplomatic response that made the return possible.

Body of R’ Nochum Eber Z”l Released to Family Following U.S. Diplomatic Intervention

A large fire broke out Thursday afternoon at the Mesivta Yeshiva CZNV building on Cazenove Road in Stamford Hill, sending thick plumes of smoke into the sky and drawing a massive emergency response as hundreds of local residents gathered in the street.



B&#8217;chasdei Hashem, no injuries have been reported.



The blaze is reported to have originated in the Pardes catering kitchen inside the building, which also contains residential apartments. Dramatic footage from the scene showed firefighters carrying Sifrei Torah out of the burning structure as heavy flames and smoke engulfed parts of the building.



The London Fire Brigade said it received the first of more than 40 calls at 4:14 p.m. and dispatched fifteen fire engines and approximately 100 firefighters from Stoke Newington, Islington, Walthamstow, and surrounding stations to the scene. A large police cordon was established, blocking access to Cazenove Road and several neighboring streets. The fire is not thought to be suspicious in nature.



Stamford Hill is home to one of the largest charedi communities in Europe, and many of those who gathered were members of the local Jewish community. Children leaving school in the area also attempted to reach the street as crowds continued to grow throughout the afternoon.



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The fire brigade said the public should avoid the area while firefighters work to bring the blaze under control.



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Fire Breaks Out at Stamford Hill Yeshiva Building

Britain raised its national terrorism threat level from “substantial” to “severe” on Thursday following the antisemitic stabbing attack in north London’s Golders Green neighborhood a day earlier. The move means British authorities now assess that a terrorist attack is considered highly likely.



Two Jewish men, ages 76 and 34, were stabbed Wednesday morning on Highfield Avenue in Golders Green, one of the UK’s largest Jewish communities. Police arrested a 45-year-old suspect at the scene, and Counter Terrorism Policing later formally declared the incident a terrorist attack. Metropolitan Police Commissioner Sir Mark Rowley called it “a terrorist attack in north-west London.”



Interior Minister Shabana Mahmood said the decision to raise the threat level reflected a broader and worsening security environment rather than only the Golders Green attack itself. British authorities said the assessment also considered growing Islamist and extreme right-wing terror threats across the country.



Prime Minister Keir Starmer used the attack to warn about hostile foreign-state activity targeting Britain’s Jewish community, specifically mentioning Iran in a statement from Downing Street. “We need stronger powers to tackle the malign threat posed by states like Iran, because we know for a fact that they want to harm British Jews,” Starmer said.

UK Raises Terror Threat Level to ‘Severe’ After Golders Green Stabbing

President Donald Trump continued his public feud with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz Thursday, posting a third consecutive broadside on Truth Social against the German leader while threatening to reduce the American military footprint in Germany — a dramatic escalation of transatlantic tensions sparked by Merz&#8217;s criticism of U.S. strategy in the Iran war.



&#8220;The Chancellor of Germany should spend more time on ending the war with Russia/Ukraine, where he has been totally ineffective, and fixing his broken Country, especially Immigration and Energy, and less time on interfering with those that are getting rid of the Iran Nuclear threat, thereby making the World, including Germany, a safer place!&#8221; Trump wrote Thursday morning.



The public row has its origins in remarks Merz made earlier this week during a visit to a school in Marsberg, northwestern Germany, in which he sharply criticized the American approach to Iran. &#8220;The Americans clearly have no strategy,&#8221; Merz said, adding that &#8220;the problem with conflicts like this is always that you don&#8217;t just have to go in; you also have to get out again.&#8221;



Merz drew comparisons between the Iran war and previous American military interventions in Afghanistan and Iraq — comparisons the Trump administration has strongly rejected. He described the current situation as &#8220;ill-considered&#8221; and argued that Iran had outmaneuvered Washington at the negotiating table. &#8220;The Iranians are obviously very skilful at not negotiating, letting the Americans travel to Islamabad and then leave again without any result,&#8221; he said. &#8220;An entire nation is being humiliated by the Iranian leadership.&#8221;



Trump responded Tuesday with a pointed personal attack, accusing Merz of believing &#8220;it&#8217;s OK for Iran to have a Nuclear Weapon.&#8221; He added: &#8220;He doesn&#8217;t know what he&#8217;s talking about! If Iran had a Nuclear Weapon, the whole World would be held hostage. I am doing something with Iran, right now, that other Nations, or Presidents, should have done long ago. No wonder Germany is doing so poorly, both Economically, and otherwise!&#8221;



On Wednesday, the president escalated further, announcing that his administration was &#8220;studying and reviewing the possible reduction of Troops in Germany,&#8221; with a decision expected &#8220;over the next short period of time.&#8221;



The threat carries significant weight. According to data from the U.S. Defense Manpower Data Center, approximately 36,000 to 40,000 American active-duty personnel are currently stationed in Germany — the largest U.S. military presence in any foreign country outside of Japan — and Germany serves as the headquarters of U.S. European Command.



Defense analysts have noted that any withdrawal would be logistically complicated and would disrupt longstanding U.S. defense architecture across the European continent. Trump has repeatedly criticized NATO allies throughout the Iran conflict for declining to participate militarily, telling reporters Wednesday that he was &#8220;very disappointed&#8221; with the alliance because &#8220;they weren&#8217;t there&#8221; to provide assistance.



Merz did not appear to back down Thursday. During a visit to German troops at a military base in Münster, he acknowledged the friction with Washington while emphasizing his commitment to the transatlantic alliance. &#8220;On all these issues, we maintain close and trusting contact with our partners, including — and especially — those in Washington,&#8221; Merz told the assembled troops. &#8220;We do this in the shared transatlantic interest. We do so with mutual respect and a fair sharing of the burden.&#8221;



He added that Germany&#8217;s strategic orientation remained fixed. &#8220;We are following a clear compass, especially during this turbulent phase — this compass remains focused on a strong NATO and a reliable transatlantic partnership.&#8221; Merz has also pointed to the ongoing closure of the Strait of Hormuz as inflicting serious damage on European economies, lending an additional edge to his criticism of Washington&#8217;s handling of the conflict.



Merz used his Münster visit to call directly on Iran to return to the negotiating table. &#8220;Iran must stop playing for time. It can no longer hold the entire region, and ultimately the entire world, hostage,&#8221; he said, warning that Tehran&#8217;s disruption of Strait of Hormuz shipping is causing severe economic damage globally. He renewed calls for European partners to ratchet up sanctions pressure on Iran to help end the blockade.



Notably, Merz did not repeat his earlier criticisms of the Trump administration at the Münster appearance, instead striking a conciliatory transatlantic tone. &#8220;We are acting in the shared transatlantic interest, and we are doing so with mutual respect,&#8221; he said, adding that his government remains firmly committed to NATO and the transatlantic partnership. &#8220;As you know, this transatlantic partnership is especially important to us, and to me personally,&#8221; he said.



Germany is not alone among American allies in voicing concern. The United Kingdom&#8217;s top economic official recently reproached the Trump administration for entering the conflict without a &#8220;clear exit plan,&#8221; citing the toll on British consumers — who have seen petrol prices rise significantly since the start of the war. The dispute comes as pressure mounts within the United States as well. Pentagon officials said Wednesday that the conflict has already cost at least $25 billion, adding urgency to calls for a de-escalation strategy. A fragile ceasefire between the U.S. and Iran remains nominally in place, but no clear path to a durable resolution has emerged.

Trump Lashes Out at German Chancellor Over Iran War Criticism

Global energy markets lurched higher Thursday as the standoff over the Strait of Hormuz deepened, with oil prices briefly touching a four-year peak amid reports that U.S. military officials were set to brief President Donald Trump on new strike options against Iran, and as Iranian Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei vowed that Tehran would never relinquish control of the critical waterway.



Brent crude surged nearly 7 percent Thursday morning, briefly reaching $126.31 a barrel &#8211; the highest price since Russia&#8217;s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022 &#8211; before falling back sharply to around $114 by afternoon. Analysts attributed part of the volatility to the expiration of the June Brent futures contract Thursday, with the more actively traded July contract settling around $110 a barrel.



The dramatic price movement came against the backdrop of an Axios report that U.S. Central Command has drafted plans for a wave of &#8220;short and powerful&#8221; strikes on Iran designed to break the negotiating deadlock with Tehran.&nbsp;



In the United States, average gasoline prices hit $4.30 per gallon Thursday &#8211; the largest single-day jump in six weeks &#8211; as the Strait of Hormuz, through which roughly 20 percent of the world&#8217;s oil and liquefied natural gas normally flows, remains effectively closed.



With peace talks apparently stalled, the White House appears to be keeping the military option firmly on the table. Trump was scheduled to receive an updated briefing from Pentagon officials Thursday on potential military action against Iran, according to reporting by Axios, whose account cited anonymous sources.



The current U.S. strategy has centered on inflicting maximum economic pressure on Iran, including a blockade of Iranian ports that Washington says will remain in place as long as Tehran threatens commercial vessels in the Strait of Hormuz. Oil prices had already risen 6 percent on Wednesday following reports that Washington was preparing for an &#8220;extended&#8221; blockade.



&#8220;It does seem as though escalation in the war is back on the table,&#8221; Naveen Das, senior oil analyst at Kpler, told the BBC. He added that an oil price approaching $125 per barrel is the threshold at which businesses and policymakers &#8220;start to get a bit more jittery.&#8221;



Energy executives met with Trump on Tuesday to discuss ways to limit the war&#8217;s impact on American consumers &#8211; a meeting that, according to the BBC, further fueled market anxiety about prolonged supply disruptions.



Susannah Streeter, chief investment strategist at Wealth Club, warned that the cost pressures may be slow to dissipate. &#8220;Urea shipments, used for fertiliser, are blocked and costs have rocketed for farmers around the world who didn&#8217;t buy stocks in advance,&#8221; she said, adding that those costs were likely to work through supply chains and push up everyday goods prices &#8220;later in the year and into next year.&#8221;



Iranian Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei issued a sweeping statement Thursday declaring that Iran would &#8220;ensure the security of the Gulf region and eliminate the possibility of exploitation by enemies&#8221; through its management of the Strait of Hormuz. Framing the conflict in expansive historical terms, Khamenei declared that a &#8220;new chapter&#8221; for the region had been unfolding since the start of what he called &#8220;the campaign of aggression by global bullies&#8221; on February 28.



&#8220;The new laws and management of the Strait will bring stability and prosperity to all the peoples of the region,&#8221; Khamenei wrote in his message to the Iranian people.



Mohsen Rezaee, an adviser to Khamenei, amplified the defiance on social media. &#8220;The siege scenario will fail and Iran will never lose the Strait of Hormuz,&#8221; Rezaee wrote, adding: &#8220;History will record that the Iranian nation drowned the superpower of the USA in the Persian Gulf and the Sea of Oman.&#8221;



Iran had previously retaliated against U.S.-Israeli airstrikes by threatening ships attempting to transit the Strait of Hormuz, triggering the U.S. blockade of Iranian ports.



Israeli Defense Minister Yisrael Katz, speaking Thursday at a ceremony promoting incoming Israeli Air Force chief Omer Tischler to the rank of major general &#8211; Tischler is set to replace Maj. Gen. Tomer Bar on May 5 &#8211; issued a pointed signal that Israel may not remain on the diplomatic sidelines indefinitely.



 &#8220;Iran has suffered extremely severe blows over the past year, blows that have set it back years in all areas,&#8221; Katz said. &#8220;U.S. President Trump, in coordination with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, is leading the effort to complete the campaign&#8217;s objectives in a way that ensures Iran will not return to being a threat to the existence of Israel, to the United States, and to the free world for generations to come.&#8221;



&#8220;We support this effort and provide the necessary backing,&#8221; Katz added, &#8220;but we may soon be required to act again to ensure the objectives are achieved.&#8221;



In a development reported Wednesday, U.S. Central Command has separately asked the Pentagon to deploy the &#8220;Dark Eagle&#8221; long-range hypersonic missile system to the Middle East. The request followed reports that Iran has been moving its ballistic missile launchers deeper into its territory &#8211; beyond the approximately 500-kilometer range of the American PrSM missiles currently deployed in the theater.



The Dark Eagle, with an attributed range of roughly 2,775 kilometers, is designed to strike time-sensitive targets even when protected by advanced air defense systems. If approved, it would mark the first operational deployment of the system, which has not yet been declared fully combat-ready. The weapon is among the most closely held in the U.S. arsenal; the cost of a single missile is estimated at approximately $2.7 billion, and the United States is reported to possess fewer than ten of them.



The deployment, if authorized, would signal to Tehran that even targets deep within Iranian territory are no longer beyond American reach.

Iran Conflict Update: Oil Prices Surge as Military Pressure Mounts

Shloime Rand, 34, one of two Jewish men stabbed in Wednesday&#8217;s terrorist attack in Golders Green, has been released from the hospital, a prominent askan with knowledge of the situation tells Belaaz.



Rand &#8211; who sustained a stab wound to the chest and was treated for a partially collapsed lung &#8211; was discharged after speaking from his hospital bed Thursday morning in a widely circulated BBC interview in which he described his survival as nothing short of miraculous.



&#8220;A very big miracle happened to me,&#8221; Rand told the BBC. &#8220;I feel like God has given me back my life. I am really happy that it was only these injuries, it wasn&#8217;t worse. I would have been even happier if nothing would have happened, but in this situation I&#8217;m very happy that I survived and I can talk.&#8221;



Recounting the attack, Rand said he had just left his local shul and was on his way to work when the assailant approached him on Highfield Avenue. &#8220;This fellow came towards me and just stabbed me in the chest,&#8221; he said. &#8220;I managed to jump back &#8211; so, thank G-d.&#8221; The quick reflexes, he said, likely saved his life, limiting the attack to a single stab wound.



The second victim, Moshe Shine, 76 &#8211; who was stabbed at a nearby bus stop on Golders Green Road minutes later &#8211; remained hospitalized Thursday in serious but stable condition, according to reports.



A 45-year-old man was detained by Shomrim volunteers, tasered, and arrested by police following the attack. The Metropolitan Police formally declared the incident a terrorist attack, and the Iran-linked group Harakat Ashab al-Yamin al-Islamia claimed responsibility.



In his BBC interview, Rand issued a pointed call for government action, saying that statements of condemnation from Downing Street are no longer sufficient. &#8220;Statements coming out from Downing Street that they will not tolerate any antisemitism is not enough,&#8221; he said. &#8220;The tone they talk about what&#8217;s going on has to be changed &#8211; and it has to be changed in a very different way to get the streets to be safe again.&#8221;



He described a community gripped by fear. &#8220;I have all friends and people telling me they&#8217;re scared to walk in the street &#8211; they look all around them, they don&#8217;t know what&#8217;s going on,&#8221; he said. &#8220;People are now afraid and it&#8217;s been taken to a new level. It&#8217;s terrible and it can no longer be ignored by the government.&#8221;



The Golders Green attack is the second declared terrorist attack on Britain&#8217;s Jewish community in seven months, following the Islamist attack at Heaton Park Synagogue in October in which two men were killed.

BARUCH HASHEM: Shloime Rand, Golders Green Terror Victim, Released From Hospital

An IDF soldier was sadly killed and a second was moderately wounded in an explosive drone attack carried out by Hezbollah terrorists in southern Lebanon on Thursday, the military announced.



The fallen soldier was identified as Sgt. Liem Ben Hamo Hy’d, 19, a member of the Golani Brigade’s 13th Battalion from Herzliya.



According to the IDF, Hezbollah terrorists launched two explosive-laden drones toward troops positioned in the village of Qantara. One drone was successfully intercepted by the soldiers, while the second detonated near the force.



The blast killed Liem and left another soldier moderately injured.



As evacuation efforts for the casualties were underway, Israeli forces carried out strikes on Hezbollah infrastructure in the surrounding area, the military said.



Hezbollah terrorists later claimed responsibility for the attack, stating that they had targeted two Israeli tanks in Qantara using drones.

Hezbollah Drone Attack In Southern Lebanon Kills IDF Soldier Hy’d, Wounds Another

A 4-year-old boy from Beitar Illit who suffered severe burns after falling into a boiling soup pot at a Shul last month has been released from Hadassah Ein Kerem Hospital following weeks of intensive treatment. Hospital officials said the child sustained second- and third-degree burns across roughly 40% of his body and has now been transferred to ALYN Hospital for rehabilitation.



The accident occurred on a Friday night before Pesach while soup was being distributed at a Shul in his neighborhood. According to his mother, the boy stepped backward near a large pot of boiling soup and fell inside. “His older brother asked him to move away. He stepped back, and without noticing, it was a matter of one second he stumbled backward and fell into the pot,” she said.



The child was rushed to Hadassah’s trauma unit, where doctors immediately transferred him to surgery. Dr. Stav Serna-Cohen, head of Hadassah’s burn unit, said the boy underwent a “long and complex hospitalization,” including sedation, ventilation, multiple burn treatments, surgeries to remove damaged tissue, and skin graft procedures.



Hospital staff said the child was treated by a multidisciplinary team that included nurses, physical therapists, occupational therapists, and dietitians throughout his recovery. “The burns and open wounds have completely closed, and he is now moving to the next stage of recovery, rehabilitation at ALYN,” Serna-Cohen said.



Hadassah said its burn specialists will continue monitoring the child closely during rehabilitation and wished him “a speedy recovery and, as much as possible, a full return to normal life.”

Beitar Illit Boy Released After Severe Burns in Shul Soup Accident

A community meeting at the Park Slope Food Coop in Brooklyn erupted into controversy Tuesday night after a member declared &#8220;Jewish supremacism is a problem in this country&#8221; and compared Jews to Nazis, according to a recording obtained by the New York Post.



The remarks were made over Zoom by a coop member identified by the screen name Michael Huarachi, and drew applause from at least 50 people attending the meeting in person, multiple witnesses told the Post. &#8220;We can&#8217;t keep making the same mistakes between what we did with the Nazis and what we did with other hateful, racist groups,&#8221; Huarachi said on the recording.



Huarachi made the comments with his camera off, which is typically against coop regulations.



The monthly meeting had been called to discuss whether the socialist-leaning grocery store should lower the voting threshold required for a boycott of Israeli goods from 75% to 51% — a change that would make it easier for supporters of the BDS (boycott, divestment and sanctions) movement to push through a ban on Israeli products. The debate centers on roughly 10 Israeli-sourced products carried by the store.



The antisemitic remarks sparked immediate condemnation from Jewish coop members in attendance. Longtime member Ramon Maislen told the Post he took to the floor to confront the hostile crowd directly. &#8220;I stood up onstage at the meeting, facing a hostile crowd, and said, &#8216;Applauding a speech that labels Jews as supremacists is not principled. It is wrong,'&#8221; Maislen told the Post. &#8220;You could hear a pin drop when I called everybody out. It was silent.&#8221; &#8220;It was shocking,&#8221; Maislen added. &#8220;That&#8217;s not who we are.&#8221;



Another attendee, who asked to remain anonymous, told the Post they were troubled by the moderators&#8217; muted response. &#8220;They just said, &#8216;Thank you for your comment. Please don&#8217;t clap.&#8217; They didn&#8217;t step in and say, &#8216;Hey, this is out of balance,'&#8221; the attendee said.



Barbara Mazor, a coop member since 1989 who is currently running for the board in order to better fight antisemitism at the store, told the Post the boycott campaign has consumed monthly meetings and turned the institution into a political battlefield. &#8220;It&#8217;s just, let&#8217;s get our Jew hate on,&#8221; she said. &#8220;And we saw it unabashed last night.&#8221;



The incident is not the first of its kind at the coop. In 2024, Maislen filed a formal complaint with New York State&#8217;s Division of Human Rights citing harassment of Jewish members who opposed boycott efforts. According to the complaint, a Jewish member standing outside the store was confronted by a shopper who called her a &#8220;Nazi&#8221; and shouted &#8220;Sieg Heil&#8221; at her as he walked away. In a separate incident detailed in the complaint, a worker allegedly told a shopper she could not stand next to her because she smelled &#8220;of Palestinian blood.&#8221; The state investigation was later dropped without explanation, Maislen told the Post.



According to one member who asked not to be identified, tensions at the coop over the Israel debate have been building since 2012, fraying a community whose stated purpose is to work together in a &#8220;positive and productive&#8221; way. The Park Slope Food Coop, founded in 1973, has roughly 16,000 members who work shifts in exchange for discounted groceries and a say in store policy.



Mazor told the Post that most shoppers are simply unaware of the internal politics roiling the institution. &#8220;There are roads to coexistence, and this BDS effort is very misguided and prolongs the conflict,&#8221; she said.



For Maislen, the episode reflects a broader breakdown. &#8220;I&#8217;m very pro-peace, but I don&#8217;t think that these people are pro-peace at all. I think they have an agenda and it&#8217;s pretty extreme,&#8221; he told the Post. &#8220;It was really disturbing seeing all the toxicity that I feel online, feeling it in person.&#8221;

Antisemitic Outburst at Park Slope Food Coop Meeting Sparks Outrage

The Israel Defense Force (IDF) confirmed Wednesday evening that naval commandos have seized 7 of the 58 vessels participating in the international &#8220;Freedom Flotilla&#8221; from Barcelona heading to Gaza.



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The operation took place hundreds of kilometers from Israeli shores, the furthest distance for such an interception to date. 



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While only 7 have been seized so far, the flotilla leaders say there is communication and navigation jamming on all boats. The IDF has effectively halted the lead ships&#8217; advance toward the naval blockade.



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High-Sea Drama: Israeli Navy Seizes “Freedom Flotilla” Ships Heading to Gaza

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TEL AVIV &#8211; In a blow to Israel’s aviation industry, Cathay Pacific, Hong Kong’s flagship carrier, has announced it is officially closing its offices in Israel and has no plans to resume flights to Ben Gurion Airport for now.



The airline, consistently ranked among the world&#8217;s best, has not operated in Israel since the start of the conflict in October 2023.



<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="900" height="350" src="https://api.belaaz.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/aircraft-777-c065.renditionimage.900.350-1.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-26426" srcset="https://api.belaaz.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/aircraft-777-c065.renditionimage.900.350-1.jpg 900w, https://api.belaaz.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/aircraft-777-c065.renditionimage.900.350-1-300x117.jpg 300w, https://api.belaaz.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/aircraft-777-c065.renditionimage.900.350-1-768x299.jpg 768w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 900px) 100vw, 900px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Photo: Cathay Pacific</figcaption></figure>



As other carriers are still trying to restart their schedules, Cathay Pacific is taking the final step of packing up its physical headquarters. This confirms they are not just waiting for the situation to improve; they are completely leaving the Israeli market for the foreseeable future.

Cathay Pacific to Shut Down Israel Operations and Close Local Offices

In a move that will significantly lower the United States&#8217; immediate naval firepower in a highly volatile region, the USS Gerald R. Ford (CVN-78) and her Carrier Strike Group are set to depart the Red Sea in the coming days.



The departure marks the conclusion of a massive operational stint. The strike group has been deployed for over 300 days, far surpassing the record for the longest U.S. aircraft carrier deployment since the Vietnam War. According to multiple U.S. officials who spoke to the Washington Post, the carrier will soon begin its journey back to its homeport at Naval Station Norfolk in Virginia.



The withdrawal of the USS Gerald R. Ford &#8211; which has been serving as one of three American aircraft carriers operating in the region &#8211; represents a notable decrease in U.S. military might in the Middle East. This reduction in forces comes at a highly sensitive time, occurring amidst a fragile ceasefire with Iran and while the United States continues to maintain a naval blockade of Iranian ports.



The Post report indicates that the primary reason for the carrier&#8217;s return is the requirement for desperately needed repairs following its grueling 10 months at sea. One official noted that the aircraft carrier is expected to arrive in Virginia around mid-May.



While the Ford&#8217;s departure lowers the overall carrier presence in the theater, U.S. naval operations and deterrence efforts are being shifted to other assets. Just last week, the USS George H. W. Bush (CVN-77) arrived in the Middle East, taking up a strategic position near Iran to monitor the delicate security situation.

U.S. Military Footprint in Middle East to Decrease as USS Gerald R. Ford Ends Record Deployment

President Donald Trump has decisively rejected a proposal from Tehran to lift the ongoing U.S. naval blockade in exchange for reopening the Strait of Hormuz, maintaining maximum economic pressure as U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) readies contingency plans for powerful, fast military action against the Islamic Republic, according to a Wednesday Axios report.



The news outlet stated that the President intends to keep the naval blockade firmly in place until the Iranian regime agrees to a comprehensive deal addressing U.S. concerns regarding its illicit nuclear program. The Iranian proposal reportedly sought to separate the maritime standoff from the nuclear issue, offering to open the strategic waterway while postponing nuclear negotiations to a later date.



However, military preparations are well underway should the current deadlock persist. Sources with knowledge of the matter indicate that CENTCOM has formulated a strategy involving powerful fast military action—specifically, a short, intense wave of strikes targeting critical Iranian infrastructure. The objective of such a kinetic offensive would be to shatter the stalemate and compel Tehran to return to the negotiating table with increased flexibility.



However, as of Tuesday evening, President Trump had not yet ordered the military to execute the strikes, expressing confidence in the current strategy of naval and economic strangulation as his primary leverage.



&#8220;The blockade is somewhat more effective than the bombing,&#8221; President Trump stated in a brief telephone interview with Axios. &#8220;They are choking like a stuffed pig. And it is going to be worse for them. They can&#8217;t have a nuclear weapon.&#8221;



The President asserted that Iran’s eagerness to reach a settlement is driven entirely by a desperate need to lift the blockade. He further claimed that the nation&#8217;s oil storage facilities and pipelines &#8220;are getting close to exploding&#8221; due to their complete inability to export crude oil. While some geopolitical analysts have expressed skepticism regarding the immediacy of the pipeline threat, the crippling economic effect of the maritime embargo remains undeniable.



Signaling an uncompromising stance, the President also recently published a digitally generated image of himself bearing a firearm, accompanied by a stark warning to the Iranian regime: &#8220;NO MORE MR. NICE GUY.&#8221;



Tehran, meanwhile, has responded with characteristic belligerence. A senior Iranian security source, quoted Wednesday by the English-language state media outlet PRESS TV, warned that the U.S. naval blockade &#8220;will soon be met with practical and unprecedented action.&#8221; The Iranian source claimed that the regime&#8217;s armed forces have thus far exercised restraint to allow time for diplomacy, but cautioned that Tehran&#8217;s &#8220;patience has limits and that a punishing response is necessary&#8221; should the United States refuse to lift the blockade.

Trump Rejects Iranian Offer, Maintains Naval Blockade as U.S. Readies “Powerful,” “Fast” Military Action

The release of Jessica Bachar, a 28-year-old from central Israel who was returned home from Turkish captivity after two months of house arrest for previously serving in the IDF, following a covert diplomatic and security operation that secured her release, B&#8217;Chadrei Charedim reported Wednesday. 



Bachar, born in Turkey and who immigrated to Israel at 17, was freed after sustained pressure from Israeli officials and involvement from the U.S. government.



The incident began in mid-February, when Islamist groups launched an online campaign targeting Bachar over her past service in the Israel Defense Forces. The groups circulated images of her in uniform and called for action against her, framing her military service as grounds for arrest.



Following the arrest, Israeli political figures mounted significant diplomatic pressure on Turkey to secure her release. After complex behind-the-scenes efforts, Bachar was extracted from the country in a covert operation and flown back to Israel under heavy security. Her exit was routed through a third country to reduce risk and ensure her safe release after the prolonged detention and public backlash



Bachar had traveled to Turkey to visit family, but her visit quickly escalated into a public controversy after what appeared to be a coordinated effort to identify Israeli citizens with dual nationality who had served in the IDF. Her personal details, including her parents’ address in Turkey, were also published online.



They appealed to the authorities with a formal demand to take action against her and expel her from the country. About two weeks later, Bachar was arrested on suspicion of committing the offense of &#8220;serving in a foreign army&#8221; and placed under strict house arrest in Istanbul, while details of the case were relayed to officials in Jerusalem.

Secret Rescue in Turkey: Israeli Woman Extracted From House Arrest After IDF Service Sparks Political Storm

The Supreme Court ruled 6-3 on Wednesday to restrict how a key part of the Voting Rights Act can be used, further narrowing the scope of a major federal civil rights law.



For decades, Section 2 of the law — which bans racial discrimination in voting — has been interpreted to allow, and sometimes require, the use of racial data when drawing congressional districts to protect minority voters.



The court’s new decision, split along ideological lines, makes it less clear when and how states can consider race in redistricting. The case focuses on Louisiana, where two congressional districts were drawn with Black majorities.



Some advocacy groups had warned the court might go further, potentially allowing states to redraw maps in ways that could shift control of Congress. Republicans, meanwhile, have argued that using race in redistricting is unconstitutional.



The ruling leaves uncertainty for both sides, as redistricting remains a central issue ahead of upcoming elections.



The case, Louisiana v. Callais, also raises questions about whether Louisiana’s current map — which includes two majority-Black districts — will remain in place for this year’s midterms.



Writing for the majority, Justice Samuel Alito said there was not enough evidence of past racial discrimination to justify using race when drawing the new map.



“Because the Voting Rights Act did not require Louisiana to create an additional majority-minority district, no compelling interest justified the State’s use of race,” Alito wrote. “That map is an unconstitutional gerrymander, and its use would violate the plaintiffs’ constitutional rights.”



Alito added that while direct proof of discrimination is not always required, the surrounding facts must still strongly suggest it occurred.



All three liberal justices joined a dissent written by Justice Elena Kagan, who emphasized her disagreement by reading parts of it aloud in court.



“Under the Court’s new view … a State can, without legal consequence, systematically dilute minority citizens’ voting power. Of course, the majority does not announce today’s holding that way. Its opinion is understated, even antiseptic,” Kagan wrote. But she said what the majority billed as mere updates actually “eviscerate the law” and amount to the “demolition of the Voting Rights Act.”



Under Chief Justice John Roberts, the court has already reduced several provisions of the roughly 60-year-old Voting Rights Act. Section 2 had remained one of its most significant provisions.



The dispute in this case centers on a change Congress made to the law in 1982. Before that, a 1980 Supreme Court ruling required proof that officials intentionally discriminated based on race, a standard lawmakers said would be difficult to meet.



Congress responded by updating the law to allow challenges based on the effects of district maps, even without direct proof of intent.



Courts have since faced ongoing questions about how to balance that standard with the Constitution’s requirement that all individuals be treated equally.



Kagan argued Wednesday that the majority “makes a nullity of the” pivotal 1982 amendment, signed into law by President Ronald Reagan.



Alito, however, said the court needed to clarify the law in part because of a 2019 ruling that allowed partisan gerrymandering claims to proceed separately. He suggested that some legal challenges now frame political disputes as racial discrimination.



“Failing to account for political considerations in redistricting … can allow plaintiffs to undo a State’s legitimate, non-racial decisions under the banner of Section 2,” Alito wrote, warning that plaintiffs may be “dressing their political-gerrymandering claims in racial garb.”



“If race and politics are not disentangled and a Section 2 claim is cynically used as a tool for advancing a partisan end, the VRA’s noble goal will be perverted,” he wrote.



The decision follows a long-running legal battle in Louisiana over Black representation in Congress. The Supreme Court first heard arguments in March 2025 but took the unusual step of rehearing the case again this term after not issuing a decision.



During the second round of arguments in October, the justices examined broader questions about how the Voting Rights Act should be applied going forward.

Supreme Court Limits Voting Rights Act, Creates New Uncertainty Over Election Maps

A knife-wielding Islamic terrorist stabbed two Jews on Golders Green Road in London on Wednesday morning, in a targeted attack near a shul.



Shomrim volunteers responded immediately, detaining the suspect who was running freely while armed with a knife. 



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&#8220;Shomrim responded immediately and detained the suspect. Police attended and deployed a taser. The male has now been arrested,&#8221; the organization said in a statement on X.



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Both victims are in serious condition and were transported fo the hospital after being treated by Hatzolah.



 The suspect is in custody.



British Chief Rabbi Ephraim Mirvis released the names of the two Yidden for davening: &#8220;Please join me in praying for a swift and complete recovery for the victims of today’s attack: Nachman Moshe ben Chaya Sarah andMoshe Ben Baila,&#8221; the Chief Rabbi wrote on X.







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This attack comes amid a recent surge of hate incidents in London, raising fears that the city is becoming less safe for Jews.

Stabbing Terror Attack in London: Two Jews Stabbed Outside A Synagogue

WASHINGTON &#8211; President Trump has directed his aides to prepare for a prolonged naval and economic blockade of Iran, U.S. officials told the Wall Street Journal. In a Monday Situation Room meeting, Trump chose sustained pressure on Iran’s oil exports and shipping over resuming strikes or withdrawing from the war, reportedly calling it the lower-risk option to force Tehran to dismantle its nuclear program, per the Wall Street Journal. President Trump posted on Truth Social earlier that the blockade is pushing Iran toward a “State of Collapse.”

REPORT: Trump Orders Extended Blockade of Iran

Five quick-thinking Mississippi middle school students sprang into action and saved 40 of their classmates on Wednesday, April 22, when their bus driver suffered a sudden asthma attack and passed out behind the wheel on a highway near Hancock Middle School in Hancock County. 



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 5 brave students jumped into action and steered the drifting bus to safety, called 911, and helped administer her medication. No one was seriously injured. 



The brave kids are now being hailed as heroes.

Heroic Mississippi Middle Schoolers Save 40 Classmates After Bus Driver Passes Out

With summer around the corner and temperatures beginning to climb, Bergen County Chaverim is taking proactive steps to protect the community&#8217;s most vulnerable — distributing mirror tags designed to remind parents to check their back seats and never leave a child unattended in a vehicle, alongside over 1,500 pedestrian safety reflectors.



The mirror tags, which serve as a simple but potentially life-saving prompt, come as warm-weather months historically see a spike in incidents of children left in dangerously hot cars. Chaverim paired the child safety push with a distribution of reflective gear aimed at keeping pedestrians visible after dark — an effort that has taken on added urgency following fatal pedestrian accidents in the county.



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&#8220;We have had fatalities from people crossing the street,&#8221; Sol Itzkowitz, coordinator of Bergen County Chaverim told Belaaz. &#8220;Chaverim urges all members of the Bergen County community to wear reflectors when walking at night — it is the simplest way to make sure you are visible. If needed, they will be made available at a designated location where residents can pick them up. Many thanks to Quality Air Heating and Cooling for sponsoring the reflectors.&#8221;



The event was coordinated with Rabbi Strauchler of Rinat Yisrael and supported by the Teaneck Police Department, Teaneck Fire Department, Teaneck Volunteer Ambulance Corps, and the CSS Security Organization. Bergen County Chaverim described the initiative as part of its ongoing mission to enhance safety across the county.



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Bergen County Chaverim Distributes Reflectors and Hot Car Reminders as Summer Approaches

NYC Mayor Zohran Mamdani and senior city Democratic officials are being accused of “racially engineering” New York City’s most selective public high schools, according to a Brooklyn mother who filed a federal lawsuit last week against the mayor and the Department of Education.



Yi Fang Chen, 45, is contesting the admissions system used for the city’s nine Specialized High Schools after her eldest son was not accepted to Stuyvesant High School, even though he ranked in the top five percent on the entrance exam he took in November.



Roughly 26,000 students sit for the Specialized High Schools Admissions Test each year, competing for about 5,000 available seats.



Chen told The NY Post that her 13-year-old son earned a score of 561 on the exam, while Stuyvesant’s cutoff is 551, yet he was still rejected. Her lawsuit challenges changes implemented for the 2019 school year that set aside 20 percent of seats for students admitted through an alternative pathway, including those with lower test scores who qualify based on other factors such as low-income status.



“Starting in 2020, the City began reserving 20 percent of its SHS seats for a separate admissions pathway — the Discovery program — that excludes students based on criteria the City purposefully selected to change the racial composition of those schools,” according to the lawsuit.



“The City adopted and continues to enforce that policy in an effort to reduce the number of Asian-American students and increase the number of black and Hispanic students admitted to the SHSs.



Chen says her son did not meet the eligibility requirements for the Discovery Program.



“Any student who scored a 495 or above is not eligible for the Discovery program,” states the NYC public school website.



She added that students with scores up to 100 points lower than her son’s are admitted through the program. “It’s very upsetting,” said the data scientist and mother of three.



Mamdani, an alumnus of the Bronx High School of Science, is accused in the lawsuit of continuing practices that disadvantage Asian American students.



According to the Pacific Legal Foundation, which filed the case on Chen’s behalf, the admissions criteria were intentionally structured to reduce Asian American enrollment.



“The City inverted the purpose of the Discovery Program by making certain disadvantaged kids categorically ineligible for Discovery through middle-school screens calculated to exclude heavily Asian-American schools.



“So rather than expand opportunity for disadvantaged students generally, the City rewrote the program in an effort to engineer a different racial result,” a representative for the foundation told The Post.



The Discovery Program itself predates Mamdani’s tenure as mayor. It was expanded under former Mayor Bill de Blasio, who sought to increase admissions of black and Hispanic students.



Eligibility requires attendance at and recommendation from a “high-poverty public school,” along with meeting criteria such as receiving public assistance, being in foster care, or qualifying as an “English language learner,” according to the education department.



Chen said she plans to keep pursuing the case on behalf of her son and other Asian-American students in the city.



Yi Fang Chen said she intends to continue challenging the policy affecting admissions.



The Pacific Legal Foundation argues that the revised system violates the Equal Protection Clause of the 14th Amendment. The Department of Education declined to comment.



Chen, who came to the United States in 1996 as a teenager from China with limited English, later earned a PhD in statistics from Stanford University. She said she brought the lawsuit to help other students facing similar barriers.



She also hopes to protect her two younger children from what she views as the same discrimination.



“Yi Fang Chen…has lived and worked in New York City for decades and raised her family with the expectation that merit — not race — would determine their opportunities in public education,” says the lawsuit, which also names Schools Chancellor Kamar Samuels as a defendant.



Stuyvesant High School, located in Battery Park City, is one of nine Specialized High Schools in New York City.



Chen was previously involved in a similar lawsuit filed in 2018 against the city and former Mayor Bill de Blasio. That case was dismissed in 2022, but later reinstated in 2024 by the Second Circuit Court, which found evidence of “discriminatory intent,” according to the Pacific Legal Foundation.



Before filing the current case, Chen said she discussed it with her son, who supported her decision.



“Regardless of outcome, I have to do this because it’s not just my son but each year there are hundreds of students who are victims of racial discrimination,” said Chen. “I don’t understand Mamdani. He went to Bronx Science, and he benefited from that experience.”



Chen says she remains committed to pursuing the case until the policy is changed.

Mayor Mamdani Faces Lawsuit Over Elite School Admissions Policies

ASHKELON — Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Defense Minister Israel Katz, and IDF Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir issued a rare wave of condemnation this evening, Tuesday, after Peleg Yerushalmi protesters breached the private residence of Military Police Chief Yuval Yamin.



The incident began as a surprise demonstration but quickly escalated when several individuals entered the officer&#8217;s private yard. Police moved in to detain those who trespassed, while others were loaded onto buses to be returned to their yeshivas.



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Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu: &#8220;I strongly condemn the wild and violent attack against the Chief Military Police Officer and demand that firm action be taken against those involved.&#8221;



Defense Minister Israel Katz: &#8220;Any harm or attempted harm to members of the security forces, and specifically to IDF commanders and soldiers, is the crossing of a red line. This is a group of violent criminals who must be prosecuted to the full extent of the law.&#8221;



IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir said: &#8220;I strongly condemn the attack. Harm to security personnel and their families constitutes the crossing of a dangerous red line.&#8221;

PM Netanyahu, Katz, and IDF Chief Zamir Condemn “Wild Attack” as Peleg Protesters Storm Military Police Chief’s Home

With the start of summer Zman bringing an unusually large influx of bochurim to the yeshiva founded by Hagaon Harav Meshulam Dovid Halevi Soloveitchik zt&#8221;l, the current Rosh Yeshiva, Hagaon Harav Yitzchak Zev Halevi Soloveitchik shlita, has announced two significant appointments within the yeshiva&#8217;s leadership, according to B&#8217;Chadrei Charedim.



Until now, since the petirah of Rav Meshulam Dovid, the Rosh Yeshiva alone delivered shiurim in the yeshiva, while his eldest son, Harav Chaim, delivered only chaburos to bochurim in the afternoon hours. With this zman&#8217;s expanded enrollment placing greater demands on the Rosh Yeshiva&#8217;s shiur, Rav Yitzchak Ze&#8217;ev has appointed Rav Chaim to deliver formal shiurim as well.



For the afternoon chaburos previously given by Rav Chaim, the Rosh Yeshiva has turned to his second son, Harav Yerucham.



In a detail that has drawn particular notice, the news outlet reported that Rav Chaim&#8217;s shiurim will be delivered not inside the yeshiva building itself, but at the home of the Rebbetzin, the almanah of Rav Meshulam Dovid, whose residence on Eli Hacohen street sits adjacent to the yeshiva.



The Rosh Yeshiva specifically chose this arrangement, it is reported, in order to be mechazeik the almanah and allow her to witness the yeshiva&#8217;s activity up close.

New Appointments at Rav Dovid Soloveitchik’s Yeshiva in Yerushalayim

Former FBI Director James Comey was indicted Tuesday by a federal grand jury for his cryptic 2025 Instagram post showing beach shells arranged as &#8220;8647.&#8221; 



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Prosecutors say the image was a veiled call to assassinate President Trump, the 47th president. This marks Comey’s second indictment in months.



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Trump supporters call it justice; whule Democrat critics describe it as politicized weaponization. The case now heads to trial.

Comey Indicted Again Over “8647” Shell Threat

B’chasdei Hashem, a potentially devastating tragedy was averted after federal authorities arrested a 22-year-old soldier stationed at Fort Polk who explicitly threatened to carry out a massacre against Jews in a shul.



According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Louisiana, the suspect, identified as Jakob Marcoulier, was apprehended and charged by criminal complaint on April 23. He faces federal charges for transmitting a threat in interstate commerce.



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The chilling plot was uncovered by the FBI, who obtained recorded audio of Marcoulier from the messaging platform Discord. In the recording, the soldier espoused virulent antisemitism and detailed his horrifying, heavily armed intentions.



The FBI revealed that Marcoulier stated the following in the recording: “After this deployment if the Jews still have reign over our government, I am going to walk into a synagogue with my AK, with a 75-round drum mag, and all of my extra mags, with my level four plates, and my haka helmet that’s three plus, and I am going to kill every single Jew I know inside of that synagogue. And that’s my goal in life.”



Law enforcement acted swiftly upon intercepting the communication to ensure the safety of the Jewish community and prevent the soldier from acting on his stated mission.



If convicted of the charge of transmitting a threat in interstate commerce, Marcoulier faces a maximum penalty of up to five years in federal prison. Authorities continue to monitor such threats closely, urging the public to remain vigilant and to report any suspicious or hateful activities to law enforcement immediately.

Louisiana Soldier Arrested After Threatening Massacre at a Shul

Protesters returned to the streets Tuesday evening, blocking Highway 4 near Bnei Brak in response to renewed IDF enforcement actions targeting draft refusers. Police declared the demonstration illegal and shut down the highway in both directions, from the Aluf Sadeh Interchange to the Em Hamoshavot Interchange.



After a relative lull during the conflict with Iran, unrest in Charedi areas has resurfaced. Activists from extremist factions blocked the central roadway to protest the resumption of targeted arrests. Clashes broke out between demonstrators and security forces attempting to disperse the crowd and reopen the route.



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Police had deployed reinforced units in anticipation of the protest. The preparations followed several arrests over the past week. Authorities had warned earlier in the day of major traffic disruptions and urged drivers to seek alternate routes.



The closure created major congestion across the region, with traffic halted for miles. Authorities redirected vehicles through Petach Tikva and along Jabotinsky Road, but heavy backups were reported throughout the area. Protesters held signs and chanted anti-draft slogans, including &#8220;Secularism is worse than death,&#8221; and vowed to continue demonstrations as long as arrests of yeshiva students persist.



The latest escalation follows the arrest of two yeshiva students in recent days. One was detained overnight between Sunday and Monday at his home in Jerusalem, while another was arrested Monday near his yeshiva in Herzliya. The arrests mark a return to proactive enforcement measures that had been paused during the war, prompting outrage among extremist groups.



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Police emphasized that while lawful protests are permitted, disruptions to public order will not be tolerated. &#8220;The police allow protests within the framework of the law, but will not tolerate disturbances of any kind,&#8221; the police said. Meanwhile, organizers are planning to expand the protests to Jerusalem, with another demonstration scheduled for 7:15 p.m. at the intersection of Givat Moshe and Golda Meir streets.



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Protestors Shut Down Highway 4 As Demonstrations Erupt Over Arrest Of Draft Refusers

The Department of Justice on Tuesday charged a former senior adviser to Dr. Anthony Fauci, accusing him of concealing key records tied to investigations into the origins of the COVID-19 pandemic.



David Morens, 78, faces multiple charges, including conspiracy against the United States, destruction and falsification of records in federal investigations, concealment of official documents, and aiding and abetting.



The indictment, unsealed Monday in federal court in Maryland, also references two unnamed co-conspirators who allegedly “concealed, removed, destroyed and caused the concealment, and removal of federal records to evade FOIA [Freedom of Information Act] and FRA [Federal Records Act].”



Morens, who served as a senior adviser to Fauci from 2006 through 2022, is accused of conducting official business through a private email account and seeking guidance from an NIH FOIA official on how to avoid records requests, according to communications first reported in May 2024.



“[T]here is no worry about FOIAs. I can either send stuff to Tony on his private gmail [sic], or hand it to him at work or at his house,” Morens wrote in one April 21, 2021, email. “He is too smart to let colleagues send him stuff that could cause trouble.”



In a February 24 email, Morens wrote: “[I] learned from our foia [sic] lady here how to make emails disappear after I am foia’d [sic] but before the search starts.”



“Plus I deleted most of those earlier emails after sending them to gmail [sic],” he added.



In another message dated September 9, 2021, Morens wrote that he would “always communicate on gmail [sic] because my NIH email is FOIA’d constantly” and “delete anything I don’t want to see in the New York Times.”



Morens also oversaw a controversial NIH grant awarded in 2014 to the nonprofit EcoHealth Alliance, which later directed U.S. taxpayer funds to the Wuhan Institute of Virology for research involving bat coronaviruses.



“These allegations represent a profound abuse of trust at a time when the American people needed it most — during the height of a global pandemic,” Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche said in a statement.



“As alleged in the indictment, Dr. Morens and his co-conspirators deliberately concealed information and falsified records in an effort to suppress alternative theories regarding the origins of COVID-19. Government officials have a solemn duty to provide honest, well-grounded facts and advice in service of the public interest — not to advance their own personal or ideological agendas.”

DOJ Indicts Fauci Adviser Over Alleged Cover-Up Of COVID Records

A report by the Daily Mail says Iran’s embassy in London has called on Iranians living in the UK to sign up for an official “martyrdom” initiative, raising serious concerns among security officials about potential risks.



Consular staff reportedly issued a message encouraging “proud Iranian compatriots residing in Britain” to join the “Jan Fada” (“sacrificing life”) program. The appeal called on “brave and noble children of Iran” to enlist as a demonstration of “solidarity, loyalty, and national zeal.” A Farsi message shared on the embassy’s Telegram channel stated: “Let us all, to a man, give our bodies to be slain; for it is better than giving our country to the enemy.&#8221;



The campaign, which began last month, was described by an embassy spokesman as non-hostile. However, similar efforts are now being examined in Australia, and security analysts told the Daily Mail the initiative presents a “significant” threat.



UK authorities have been approached for comment as members of the Iranian diaspora urged action. Roger Macmillan, a former security director at Iran International, said the effort amounts to online radicalization within Britain and could push individuals to act on behalf of the regime.



He cautioned that the campaign may extend beyond Iranians to include sympathetic individuals, describing it as a dangerous escalation. Dr. Nadeh Fallah of the Iranian Human Rights and Allies group called the development “deeply alarming,” and urged the UK government to formally designate the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) as a terrorist organization, arguing it is actively working to recruit and expand its influence in the country.



Responding to the criticism, a spokesman for the Iranian Embassy in London said: &#8220;&#8216;Iranians around the world have always cared deeply about their homeland and the protection of its territorial integrity and they always will. &#8216;The “Jan Fada&#8221; platform is intended for all Iranians who wish to support and defend their country, and it does not promote any form of hostility.&#8221;



Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer has recently pledged to classify the IRGC as a terrorist organization, though no formal legislation has yet been introduced, despite mounting concern over Iran-linked activities in the UK.

Iran Embassy In London Sparks Alarm With “Martyrdom” Campaign Targeting UK Iranians

As the Trump administration launches a federal civil rights investigation this week into an extremist New York City teachers’ group for allegedly indoctrinating students with antisemitic content, a Queens-based askan is raising pointed questions about whether senior Department of Education officials were long aware of the group’s activities &#8211; and deliberately looked the other way.



Moshe Spern of United Jewish Teachers tells Belaaz that the DOE’s repeated insistence that it has no connection to NYC Educators for Palestine rings hollow in light of a documented episode from early 2024 in which a sitting principal used her DOE position to email blast colleagues promoting one of the group’s inflammatory events &#8211; with no objection from district or departmental leadership.



“There is a very clear connection between the NYCPS and NYC Educators for Palestine,” Spern alleged. “I’m hoping the Trump administration identifies all evil parties that have spent the last two and a half years indoctrinating our students. The Jewish parents, students, and teachers just want to feel safe at school. We must have politically neutral schools and everyone should be consistent in these regulations.”



The episode Spern describes began in January 2024 with a professional workshop hosted by Tania Romero, a Supervisor of Social Workers at the NYC Department of Education. The workshop was built around a Vox article titled “Everything You Need to Know About Israel-Palestine” &#8211; a piece critics say is heavily skewed toward a Palestinian narrative. Among the presenters was Josh Heisler, a New York City public school teacher who is a member of both the United Federation of Teachers and Jewish Voice for Peace, an anti-Zionist organization. While the workshop was more restrained in tone than the Educators for Palestine events that would follow, Spern says its slant was unmistakable.



A month earlier, in December 2023, Romero had organized a “healing” session restricted exclusively to “those who are currently holding space in support of the liberation of Palestine, as well as for Palestinian, Arab and Muslim kin” — language that explicitly excluded Jewish and pro-Israel educators. Romero, who publicly describes herself as a practitioner of tarot card readings, reiki “energy healing,” and herbology, appeared to encounter no pushback from DOE supervisors for that event.



A few weeks after Romero’s workshop, one of its attendees &#8211; Terri Grey, principal of the Virtual Innovators Academy, a remote public school serving first-year ninth and tenth graders with locations in the Bronx and Brooklyn &#8211; replied to all attendees of Romero’s workshop, inviting them to an Educators for Palestine virtual “curriculum share” event. That event was billed as an opportunity for teachers to exchange lessons on how to “get around censorship” and teach students about what the group described as “the ongoing genocide in Gaza.”



According to Spern, Grey’s email was sent to all principals and district leadership who had attended Romero’s workshop. Not a single one protested or raised any objection.



That silence, Spern contends, is telling.



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Among those in a position to have been aware of the episode was Alan Cheng, who now serves as Supervising Superintendent of High Schools and D79 &#8211; one of the most senior positions in the DOE &#8211; in a role he assumed under Chancellor Kamar Samuels, who was appointed by Mayor Zohran Mamdani. Romero served under Cheng’s authority, and Spern notes that Cheng himself attended a workshop in which the Israeli-Palestinian conflict was discussed &#8211; one that Spern describes as virulently anti-Israel in content &#8211; without objecting to a word of it. “It’s upsetting that someone in such a high position of power as a Superintendent wouldn’t realize themselves how inappropriate the training and emails were back then. Not enough leaders call these issues out and they become normalized,” Spern said.



The controversy unfolds against the backdrop of a major development reported last week: the Trump administration has launched a formal civil rights investigation into NYC Educators for Palestine. The U.S. Department of Education’s Office of Civil Rights announced the probe following complaints that the group has pushed anti-Israel lessons on young students that discriminate against Jewish children. Among the group’s activities cited by federal officials was a “Teach-In for Palestine” held on Martin Luther King Jr. Day for students as young as six.



The DOE responded to the federal probe by reiterating that the group “is not connected to New York City Public Schools” &#8211; the same formulation it has used in the past. The group’s own mission statement, according to federal officials, declares that education “should be a tool for liberation NOT occupation.”



Spern said the DOE’s denials do not square with what he witnessed firsthand. “I’m hoping the Trump administration identifies all evil parties that have spent the last two and a half years indoctrinating our students.”



In a related development, the United Federation of Teachers’ delegate assembly this week voted to advance an anti-Israel resolution to its May agenda for a full vote &#8211; a first in the union’s history. Fifty-eight percent of delegates voted in favor of advancing the measure, which critics describe as riddled with factual inaccuracies, makes no mention of Hamas, and contains no reference whatsoever to the October 7, 2023, massacre that triggered the Gaza war.



Observers say the resolution marks a troubling inflection point in which the city’s largest teachers’ union is embracing partisan political advocacy against Israel at the expense of the many Jewish educators it is charged with representing.

NYC DOE Officials Sat Silent as Principal Promoted Radical Anti-Israel Teach-In, Teachers Group Head Charges

Israeli officials delivered a sharp warning to Beirut, saying the Lebanese government has failed to act against Hezbollah since the ceasefire began two weeks ago, according to a report aired on Makor Rishon.



Sources said there have been no arrests or efforts to stop attacks or rocket fire targeting Israeli forces.



&#8220;There were no arrests, there were no attempts to prevent attacks on soldiers, and there was no attempt to prevent shooting,&#8221; one source told i24NEWS, underscoring Israel’s frustration with what it sees as total inaction.



At the same time, diplomatic contacts between Israel and Lebanon have intensified. In a notable development, Israeli Ambassador to the U.S. Yechiel Leiter and Lebanese Ambassador Nada Hamada Meoud met face-to-face for the first time, with one of their recent meetings partially facilitated by President Trump. Washington and Jerusalem are pressing Lebanon to begin acting against the terrorist organization alongside the extended ceasefire.



Defense Minister Yisrael Katz conveyed a stern message to the UN envoy in talks Monday, warning that Lebanon’s leadership is risking the country’s future. &#8220;There will be no reality of a ceasefire in Lebanon along with firing on our forces and the settlements of the Galilee,&#8221; Katz said, adding that continued inaction would lead to severe consequences.



Katz stressed that Hezbollah must first be disarmed south of the Litani River and ultimately across all of Lebanon.



In Beirut, Lebanon’s top leadership convened a high-level meeting, bringing together President Joseph Aoun, Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri, and Prime Minister Nawaf Salam. The stated goal was &#8220;to pave the way for decisive decisions regarding the path of negotiations with the United States.&#8221;



Aoun, speaking Monday, criticized the ongoing conflict, saying: &#8220;Until when will the people of southern Lebanon pay the price of others&#8217; wars on our country? If this were a war on Lebanon, we would support it, but this is a war for the interests of others, and therefore I completely oppose it.&#8221;



He emphasized that Lebanon had made clear to Washington that a ceasefire must precede further negotiations and pushed back against domestic criticism. &#8220;Some people say that they are criticizing us for deciding to turn to negotiations without overwhelming support in Lebanon, and I ask: When you turned to war, did you receive overwhelming consent beforehand?&#8221; Aoun said. &#8220;What we are doing is not treason &#8211; the one who betrays is the one who drags his country into war for external interests. My goal is to end the war with Israel.&#8221;



Meanwhile, Israeli forces on the ground are facing an escalating drone threat. Roughly ten drones were launched toward IDF troops in southern Lebanon over the past day, part of a broader pattern of dozens of drone attacks weekly across different sectors.



A senior officer described the development as unexpected, saying: &#8220;This is a bit of a surprise.&#8221; According to defense officials, Israel was slow to adapt, with countermeasures only being developed after operations were already underway.



&#8220;The explosive drones are a bit of a surprise on the battlefield. We were not prepared well enough for this threat &#8211; and only at the beginning of the campaign did we establish exercises to deal with the drones,&#8221; a senior defense official acknowledged.



Katz reiterated Israel’s position during his meeting with UN envoy Jeanine Hennis-Plasschaert, warning both Hezbollah and the Lebanese government of the consequences of continued aggression. &#8220;Naim Kassem is playing with fire, and Aon is gambling on the future of Lebanon,&#8221; he said.



He added that Israel has instructed the IDF &#8220;to respond forcefully to Hezbollah for every violation and harm, and every threat to our forces and the Israeli settlements.&#8221;



Doubling down on the warning, Katz said: &#8220;Naim Qassem is playing with fire, and the fire will burn Hezbollah and all of Lebanon, just like in the parable of the Hatred.&#8221; He continued: &#8220;If the Lebanese government continues to shelter under the shadow of the terrorist organization Hezbollah, a fire will break out and burn the cedars of Lebanon

Israel Warns Lebanon: No Action Against Hezbollah As Drone Threat Catches IDF Off Guard

Prior to Prime Minister Netanyahu&#8217;s decision to order the cancellation of the Lag BaOmer celebrations in Meron next week, he held numerous discussions with defense establishment officials.



Belaaz has obtained exclusive quotes from the situational assessment held with the Prime Minister before the decision was made.



Head of the Home Front Command: &#8220;The issue here isn&#8217;t Iran, but Lebanon, as the warning time from Lebanon is very short. Even if there were only a few thousand people on the mountain in Meron, if a rocket or UAV is launched, it would be a disaster.&#8221;



Minister Ben-Gvir: &#8220;Elaborate so everyone here understands.&#8221;



Security Official: &#8220;It could mean over a hundred dead&#8230;&#8221;



UTJ MK Porush: &#8220;Why are you canceling now? Everyone here agrees that if there&#8217;s a ceasefire in Iran, there will be a celebration. Why specifically against the Charedi community?&#8221;



Prime Minister: &#8220;We are talking about fire from Lebanon, not Iran&#8230;&#8221;



Minister Ben-Gvir: &#8220;It&#8217;s the exact opposite, Rabbi Porush. We are ensuring the Charedim aren&#8217;t harmed, just as we ensure secular or national-religious people aren&#8217;t harmed. I completely understand and it pains me that the event must be canceled, but I am not willing to take any risk, not even for the life of a single person coming to daven in Meron. What rabbi would grant permission when it comes to actual Pikuach Nefesh (saving a life)?&#8221;



MK Porush pressed again: &#8220;Then why did they open Teddy [Stadium] in Jerusalem?&#8221;



Prime Minister: &#8220;It&#8217;s not the same thing. That is in Jerusalem; in the north, the warning time is completely different.&#8221;



Minister Ben-Gvir: &#8220;We cannot take a risk and endanger people&#8217;s lives.&#8221;



Minister Regev: &#8220;It&#8217;s enough for one missile to hit a single bus. I am also against taking a risk.&#8221;



Prime Minister: &#8220;The situation is dangerous, the ceasefire is fragile, and we cannot take this risk.&#8221;

EXCLUSIVE: Inside the Decision to Cancel Lag BaOmer in Meron — “It Could Mean Over a Hundred Dead”

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis on Monday introduced a proposed new congressional map that could deliver Republicans as many as four additional seats in the House, offsetting a recent redistricting outcome in Virginia that favored Democrats.



The plan would dismantle four Democratic-leaning districts across central and southern Florida, concentrating Democratic voters into a handful of heavily blue areas such as Fort Lauderdale, Miami, Orlando, and West Palm Beach.



The revised map, released by the governor’s office, outlines a dramatic shift in the state’s political landscape, with 25 districts leaning Republican and just three favoring Democrats.



“Florida got shortchanged in the 2020 Census, and we’ve been fighting for fair representation ever since,” DeSantis said in a statement to Fox News Digital, which first reported on the new map. “Our population has since grown dramatically, and we have moved from a Democrat majority to a 1.5 million Republican advantage. Drawing maps based on race, which is reflected in our current congressional districts, is unconstitutional and should be prohibited.”



DeSantis has also called a special legislative session set to begin Tuesday, where lawmakers are expected to take up the proposed redistricting plan.

DeSantis Unveils Aggressive New Florida Map That Could Hand GOP Four More Seats

President Yitzchak Herzog met Monday in Astana with Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, where he outlined a plan to significantly boost economic ties and advance cooperation between the two countries.



Following Herzog’s arrival earlier in the day, the two leaders first held a one-on-one meeting before convening a broader session with senior Kazakh officials. According to Herzog’s office, discussions centered on strengthening bilateral relations and expanding strategic collaboration.



“I would like to focus on how we can double, triple, and more the volume of business and trade between our nations. We are close to approving direct flights, and I think that this can have a huge impact on business and trade, especially as part of the Abraham Accords family,” Herzog says in the readout.



Kazakhstan formally joined the Abraham Accords in November under an agreement brokered by the Trump administration. However, the country has maintained diplomatic relations with Israel since 1992, making its inclusion largely symbolic.



Tokayev praised the broader regional impact of the agreements, telling Herzog that “the Abraham Accords have fundamentally reconfigured the Middle East’s geopolitical architecture, creating a strategic framework for regional stability, shared prosperity and collaborative efforts to address common challenges.”



He also emphasized Kazakhstan’s stance on religious tolerance, stating, “With pride, we emphasize that there is no antisemitism in Kazakhstan.”

Herzog Pushes To Triple Trade With Kazakhstan

Tragedy struck the Boro Park community on Monday morning as the horrific news arrived of the petirah of R’ Nachum Yisrael Eber, Hy”d, 51, a respected member of the Belzer kehillah. R&#8217; Nachum was the victim of a brutal murder reportedly at the hands of a violent gang while traveling in Colombia.



R&#8217; Nachum had traveled to the South American country several days prior. Concern mounted when all contact with him was lost, prompting his anguished family to reach out to askanim and local authorities for assistance. Following an intensive search, his body was discovered in a remote, isolated area, bearing signs of severe violence.



According to initial reports from Colombian authorities, R’ Nachum, Hy”d, was ambushed by a local criminal gang. The attackers, apparently seeking to rob him, killed him before fleeing the scene.



As the community reels from this devastating loss, tireless efforts are underway to ensure kavod hameis. Representatives from Chesed Shel Emes, one of the groups working on the case, told Belaaz that they are working with local askanim, Misaskim and ZAKA to navigate the complex international logistics to get the niftar released by Colombian authorities and brought back to the United States for kevurah.



Meanwhile, Colombian law enforcement has opened a formal murder investigation, and community representatives are applying intense diplomatic pressure to expedite the necessary bureaucratic processes to bring R&#8217; Nachum to kever Yisrael as swiftly as possible.



Yehi zichro baruch

Tragic Petirah of R’ Nachum Eber, Hy”d, Murdered in Columbia

As rockets fell on Israel and airlines around the world suspended flights to Tel Aviv, El Al faced a question no other carrier has ever had to answer in wartime: how do we keep Shabbos? Shlomi Zafrani, El Al’s Vice President of Commerce and Aviation Relations, says the airline is &#8220;very proud not to fly and not to work during Shabbat.&#8221;



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In an exclusive interview with Belaaz, Zafrani also described the race to get frum travelers home before Pesach, the challenge of koshering an entire fleet mid-war, and a $1.5 billion Boeing deal that signals where El Al is headed next.



“This is part of the implementation of our long-term strategic plan,” Zafrani told Belaaz. “The core of it is to expand our fleet size, while focusing both on long-haul destinations with the wide-body fleet and shorter destinations with the narrow-body fleet.”



El Al signed an expansion of its existing Boeing agreement, approving options for six additional Dreamliner aircraft on top of the three already contracted, bringing the total addition to nine new planes. Deliveries are set to begin at the end of this year.



“This expansion will allow us to increase the number of flights to current destinations while focusing on the US, and to open new routes for long-haul destinations &#8211; both to America and to Asia,” Zafrani said. “The plan is to keep increasing the network together with the fleet.”



FLYING THROUGH FIRE



The announcement comes on the heels of one of the most operationally demanding periods in El Al’s history. As Iran launched missile and drone attacks on Israel, El Al found itself trying to maintain commercial aviation in an active war zone &#8211; with pilots and mechanics simultaneously called up for reserve military duty.



“Some of our pilots and mechanics took part in the attack on Iran,” Zafrani said. “It’s very, very complicated to operate commercial aviation under these circumstances.”



Zafrani revealed that the airline had spent months since June quietly preparing for exactly this scenario. “We are an Israeli airline. We knew that at certain points, something will happen &#8211; it could take a few months, it could take years. We knew nothing in advance. We were just getting ready for it, and luckily we were ready on time.”



Operations were coordinated in real time with the Israeli Ministry of Transportation, the Ministry of Defense, and the Israeli Air Force. Because Israel’s missile defense systems provide approximately ten minutes of advance warning before an incoming rocket hits, El Al was able to keep aircraft and passengers protected &#8211; limiting flights to one or two per hour to minimize risk.



“Safety is top priority. If safety says it’s not safe to fly, then we shut down &#8211; we suspend operations. The decision is easy. The implementation and the implications for customers are very hard. But this is how we acted,” Zafrani said.



He and his team spent much of the war period working out of a bunker at Ben Gurion Airport, putting in roughly 18-hour days while managing their own personal stress about families at home under rocket fire.



“Each one of El Al’s 6,000 employees globally was under personal pressure &#8211; at home, with families, with kids, with sirens going on and off. And yet we had the expectation from ourselves not to shut down, to keep being there for the customers, to keep operations at the maximum level we were permitted,” he said. “Everyone worked from their soul, their belief, their commitment. I don’t think other European airlines can say the same.”



ROCKETS HIT BEN GURION &#8211; AND MISSED EL AL PLANES



In one of the most dramatic moments of the war, a rocket struck the Ben Gurion Airport complex and hit three private aircraft. El Al planes in the vicinity were untouched. A second strike hit the employee parking lot at the airport shortly after &#8211; and again, no El Al employees were injured. Neither incident was widely publicized in the United States.



Zafrani called the entire wartime operating period a reflection of something larger than logistics.



“You can fly 15, 20, 50 flights a day under rocket fire without any injuries to customers or crew &#8211; it’s unbelievable, really,” he said. “Look at Ukraine. Since that war began, not a single commercial flight has departed from Ukraine. We flew during active wartime, with very high levels of rocket fire, and everyone was kept protected. That’s unbelievable.”



CAPPED PRICES AND A PESACH RESCUE MISSION



As the war disrupted flight schedules, El Al implemented what Zafrani described as an industry-first: a hard price cap on both coach and premium cabin tickets, regardless of demand.



“In aviation, as a flight gets fuller and you get closer to departure, prices go to higher levels &#8211; that’s normal, that’s how every airline globally works. What we decided to do differently is cap the prices in coach and in premium cabin as well. We do not allow prices to go high, even if the demand is fully there,” he said. “I don’t think any other airline has ever used this method.”



The cap has been implemented through the end of August, with El Al considering extending it through the end of the summer season. The downside, Zafrani acknowledged, is that affordable fares drive stronger demand, causing flights to fill faster than in normal times.



For El Al’s largest customer base &#8211; American travelers, including a significant portion from the frum community &#8211; the airline ran a massive Pesach repatriation operation. Working with US travel agencies, its call center, and partner airline Delta, El Al secured connecting capacity through Europe for passengers who could not get direct flights from Tel Aviv in time for the holiday.



“We protected capacity on Tel Aviv-Europe flights and connected with our partners, especially Delta from Europe to New York, to expand the number of people we were able to carry before Pesach,” Zafrani said. “Many, many of them were Charedi &#8211; yeshiva guys and Bais Yaakov girls who were planning to travel home for Pesach and whose flights were canceled.” El Al also partnered with the US Embassy in Israel and the State Department in Washington, directly contacting every stranded American citizen who filled out an online form the airline published during the crisis.



SHABBOS AND KASHRUS



El Al is the only commercial airline in the world that does not fly on Shabbos &#8211; a policy that drew public criticism in Israel during the war, when some argued the airline should suspend the practice to maximize repatriation capacity. Zafrani was unapologetic.



“We are very proud not to fly and not to work during Shabbat. Obviously it brings a lot of challenges &#8211; we take six days a week and make sure we are flying at the pace of seven. Everything is very, very tight,” he said. “We kept our customers with solutions, just within the framework we operate under.”



When flights are delayed and at risk of being airborne over Shabbos, El Al has a network of alternative airports with pre-arranged accommodations, Chabad contacts, and complete kosher meal service ready to go. Athens, he noted, is the most frequently used. “If a significant event occurs and we cannot fix it, it will be solved after Shabbat. We are standing behind our beliefs, and this is part of it.”



On the kosher food front, El Al operates its own catering kitchens at Tel Aviv’s Ben Gurion Airport and at its New York base &#8211; the latter run by Bornstein Caterers. At other global destinations, the airline opens dedicated kosher preparation facilities alongside local caterers, with mashgichim certifying every item.



“We come in, and we teach local staff what it means to make kosher food,” Zafrani said. “We will never serve anything that is not kosher. The same applies in every lounge we use globally &#8211; either El Al provides its kosher food to the lounge directly, or we cooperate with the third-party lounge operator on what will be served with the right certificates.”



For Pesach, the challenge was compounded by wartime restrictions. Ben Gurion Airport could not accommodate the long-term ground time normally used to kosher the entire fleet before the holiday. El Al performed the koshering process across locations in Israel, Europe, and the United States.



“It was extremely challenging, but we were able to cover the entire fleet on time for Pesach,” Zafrani said.



WHAT COMES NEXT



With a Lebanon ceasefire now in place, El Al is moving quickly to restore full operations. Zafrani says that by early May, the airline expects to return to its full pre-war schedule &#8211; approximately 900 flights per week between Tel Aviv and the United States for the summer season. Flights to Boston resume next week. “We are already covering all the destinations we planned to operate, and the number of flights is almost back to 100 percent,” he said. “We are recovering intensively and trying to make sure we are fulfilling the demand &#8211; while other carriers still haven’t resumed flying to Tel Aviv.”



The Tel Aviv–New York route, Zafrani said, remains the single most strategically important market for El Al &#8211; not necessarily in raw passenger volume, but in the airline’s identity and mission.



“It has always been the most important market for El Al. Always has been, always will be,” he said. “We will not go backwards from here.”

BELAAZ INTERVIEW: ‘We Are Proud Not to Fly on Shabbos’: El Al’s VP on Running a Jewish Airline Through a War

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has ordered the cancellation of the annual mass gatherings on Mt. Meron for Lag BaOmer, citing ongoing security threats in the north.



The annual event, which typically draws hundreds of thousands of Yidden from across Eretz Yisrael and the world to the tziyun of the Tanna Rebbe Shimon bar Yochai, will instead be heavily restricted.



According to a letter signed by Cabinet Secretary Yossi Fuchs and distributed by the Prime Minister’s Office, the Hilula will be held this year with only a limited, symbolic presence of 1,500 people. The precise details and parameters of this restricted attendance will be determined and announced at a later date.



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Fuchs&#8217; letter cited the &#8220;fear of a mass-casualty event due to the fragility of the ceasefire with Lebanon.&#8221;



Furthermore, officials noted the sheer proximity of the makom kadosh to the volatile northern border, recent rocket fire directed at the region, and the logistical impossibility of safely and swiftly evacuating a crowd of hundreds of thousands should an emergency arise.



The announcement comes as a disappointment to the multitudes who eagerly anticipate the Meron Hilula each year, and it remaine to be seen if askanim will endeavor to appeal the decision.

Netanyahu Cancels Annual Meron Lag BaOmer Event Due to Security Concerns

Former prime ministers Naftali Bennett and Yair Lapid announced Sunday that they will run together in the upcoming 2026 elections under a joint list titled “Together – Led by Naftali Bennett,” marking a significant political realignment within the opposition.



Speaking at a press conference in Herzliya, Bennett described the partnership as “the most Zionist and patriotic act we have ever done” and declared that “the era of division is over.” He said the alliance aims to unite broad segments of Israeli society, despite his contentious relationship with the religious world, including efforts by his party to draft Charedim and strip power from the Chief Rabbinate in favor of extremist left-wing Jewish figures.



Bennett emphasized that, despite the partnership, he remains a “right-wing, liberal Zionist” and intends to form a coalition only with Zionist parties, signaling a shift from his previous government, which included an Arab party. At the same time, he argued that his leadership would represent all Israelis, including those outside his voter base.



Lapid, leader of the Yesh Atid party, said the decision to back Bennett was driven by political necessity, stating that the center must unify to win. “We are setting ego aside and doing what is right for the State of Israel,” he said, calling for a “strong and stable” Zionist government. He also outlined priorities including economic relief, security, and government reform, while reiterating his position on drafting Charedim.



The joint list will not formally merge the parties but will run as a unified slate. The two previously partnered in the 2021–2022 government, a diverse coalition that ultimately collapsed after internal disagreements and political pressure. That experience continues to shape both support and skepticism surrounding their renewed alliance.



Bennett also extended an invitation to former IDF chief of staff Gadi Eisenkot to join the new list, describing the move as part of a broader effort to consolidate opposition forces. Eisenkot responded positively, calling the goal of winning the upcoming elections a “shared” one, though he did not formally commit.



Recent polling suggests Bennett’s party is competitive with Likud, while Lapid’s support has declined compared to previous elections. A potential combined run with Eisenkot could significantly reshape the political map, though analysts note it may not dramatically alter the balance between major blocs.



Other political figures reacted with mixed responses. Benny Gantz welcomed the partnership but stressed the need for broader unity without exclusions, while members of the current coalition sharply criticized the alliance, accusing Bennett and Lapid of repeating past political alignments.



The renewed partnership highlights both the opportunities and challenges facing the opposition. While the alliance may strengthen coordination and messaging, questions remain about ideological differences, past coalition dynamics, and whether the new framework can translate into electoral success.

Bennett And Lapid Announce Joint Run

Emergency responders were dispatched Sunday to a home in Bnei Brak after reports that a young child had ingested bleach. The approximately two-year-old was given initial treatment at the scene before being transported in stable condition to a hospital for further care.



The child was taken to Sheba Medical Center in Tel Hashomer after swallowing a cleaning substance in his home. Rescue personnel and MDA paramedics who arrived quickly provided immediate medical assistance. According to responders, the toddler remained in stable condition while being transferred to the emergency room for continued treatment.



Following the incident, United Hatzolah issued a renewed warning to the public about the dangers of improperly stored cleaning products, particularly in homes with young children. They stressed the importance of keeping such materials secured in high or locked locations, out of children’s reach.



Hatzolah also emphasized a critical safety rule: cleaning substances should always remain in their original containers. Moving toxic liquids into drink bottles can confuse children, significantly increasing the risk of accidental ingestion and serious harm.

Toddler Hospitalized In Bnei Brak After Drinking Bleach

Rabbi Zevadya Cohen has been chosen as the Chief Rabbi of Tel Aviv-Jaffa, securing 37 of the 61 votes cast. The result ends an eight-year period during which the city operated without a chief rabbi. Rabbi Chaim Amsalem finished second with 21 votes.



The vote, held on Sunday, was decided by a 64-member electoral body selecting from a field of 16 candidates. Rabbi Cohen’s win is also seen as a political boost for the Shas party, which has successfully backed several municipal rabbinical appointments across Israel over the past year.



Among the other candidates were Rabbi Oshri Moyal, Rabbi Zvi Yehuda Lau, Rabbi Ben Zion Shmuel Avidan, Rabbi Nosson Nechemiah Zeidman, Rabbi Aryeh Levin, Rabbi Amos Chai Shoshan, Rabbi Amnon Hagigi, Rabbi Eldad Yona, Rabbi Shimon Nissim Legersi, Rabbi Eldad Sami Levy, Rabbi Uziel Moshe Berkowitz, Rabbi Tomer Portal Biton, Rabbi Barak Cohen, and Rabbi Or Shraga. Aside from Rabbi Amsalem’s 21 votes, Rabbi Aryeh Levin received 3 votes, three electors were absent, and the remaining candidates did not receive any votes.



By virtue of his position, Rabbi Cohen will now join the Council of the Chief Rabbinate of Israel. In keeping with longstanding custom, he is also expected to don the traditional rabbinical &#8220;glima&#8221; robe and turban associated with the role.



Following the announcement, former Minister of Religious Services MK Michael Malkiel said: &#8220;At the end of a complex election campaign during which various elements attempted to agitate against the election of a rabbi for the city, Rabbi Zevadya Cohen, Shlita, was elected to the important position. There is no doubt that this election will allow many of the city&#8217;s residents to connect with religion in a brighter light, together with the excellent religious services operating in the city. The election results show that this is the desire of the majority of the city&#8217;s residents who desire tradition and Judaism. Thanks to the vigorous activity of Rabbi Aryeh Deri, we will continue to strengthen and consolidate religious services in Israel&#8221;

Rabbi Zevadya Cohen Elected Chief Rabbi Of Tel Aviv-Jaffa After Eight-Year Vacancy

SOUTHERN LEBANON — The IDF has cleared for publication the name of Sgt. Idan Fuchs, a 19-year-old from Petah Tikva, who was killed in action this morning during a Hezbollah drone attack in Southern Lebanon. The tragic incident, which the military has termed a &#8220;blatant violation&#8221; of the current ceasefire. The incident also left six other soldiers wounded, including four who remain in serious condition.



The incident began during the morning hours in the village of Al-Taybeh, located approximately four kilometers from the Israeli border. A tank operating under Golani’s 12th Battalion became disabled in the field, requiring the crew to exit the vehicle to repair a broken track. While the soldiers were working on the tank, Hezbollah terrorists launched an explosive suicide drone that detonated directly near the force.



The blast claimed the life of Sgt. Fuchs hy&#8221;d and wounded six of his comrades. Following the strike, an IAF rescue helicopter was scrambled and landed inside Lebanese territory to evacuate the casualties to a hospital in Israel. During the high-stakes evacuation, Hezbollah attempted to strike the rescue team by launching two additional explosive drones. Israeli forces managed to intercept one of the drones, while the second exploded just meters away from the helicopter as the wounded were being loaded. 



Baruch Hashem, the aircraft was not damaged and no further injuries were reported during the rescue.



<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="900" height="599" src="https://api.belaaz.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/photo_5976423885919948608_y.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-25903" srcset="https://api.belaaz.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/photo_5976423885919948608_y.jpg 900w, https://api.belaaz.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/photo_5976423885919948608_y-300x200.jpg 300w, https://api.belaaz.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/photo_5976423885919948608_y-768x511.jpg 768w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 900px) 100vw, 900px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Photo Credit: IDF Spokesperson</figcaption></figure>



IDF officials are defining the attack as a severe breach of the ceasefire understandings. According to military data, more than 20 such &#8220;blatant violations&#8221; have been recorded since the ceasefire began. 



Over the last week alone, Hezbollah has targeted Israeli forces in Southern Lebanon daily, utilizing suicide drones, UAVs, and anti-tank missiles in a series of ongoing terror provocations.

TRAGEDY: Sgt. Idan Fuchs HY”D Killed as Hezbollah Violates Ceasefire with Deadly Drone Strike

A security scare on Shabbos morning interrupted davening at Beis Medrash Govoha, leading Lakewood police to evacuate the Yoshon and adjacent halls out of an abundance of caution.



The incident occurred at approximately 10:00 a.m. while the building on 7th Street was filled with mispallelim for Shabbos morning tefillos. Officers arrived on the scene and ordered a full, immediate evacuation of both the Yoshon building and the adjoining Mizrach hall.



A source familiar with the incident told Belaaz the police response was triggered by a suspicious individual in the area who had made comments that were perceived as a threat.



The sudden evacuation caused a significant disruption to the morning tefillos. In the Yoshon building, the order to vacate came precisely during the silent Musaf Shemoneh Esrei. Those present were forced to relocate to the Beis Yitzchok building across the street to finish Musaf. In the Mizrach hall, where Musaf had not yet begun, the minyan dispersed to various nearby study halls to conclude their davening.



The building remained closed to the public while authorities conducted a thorough search of the premises. After police completed their sweep and definitively established that there was no immediate danger, the building was cleared for reentry and returned to normal operations.

Security Concern Prompts Shabbos Morning Evacuation at BMG’s Yoshon Beis Medrash

US President Donald Trump canceled a planned trip to Islamabad by envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner on Saturday, citing frustration with Iran’s leadership and stalled negotiations following the departure of Iran’s foreign minister from Pakistan.



Announcing the move on social media, Trump pointed to disarray within Iran’s leadership. “Too much time wasted on traveling, too much work! Besides which, there is tremendous infighting and confusion within their ‘leadership,&#8217;” he wrote. “Nobody knows who is in charge, including them. Also, we have all the cards, they have none! If they want to talk, all they have to do is call!!!”



In an interview, Trump reinforced the decision, saying, “I’ve told my people… ‘Nope, you’re not making an 18-hour flight to go there… We have all the cards. They can call us anytime they want, but you’re not going to be making any more 18-hour flights to sit around talking about nothing.’”



He later clarified that the move does not necessarily signal renewed fighting. “It doesn’t mean that,” Trump said. “We haven’t thought about it yet.”



Trump added that Iran submitted a revised proposal shortly after the trip was canceled, calling it improved but still insufficient. “The Iranians gave us a paper that should have been better… They offered a lot but not enough,” he said.



Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi left Pakistan after meetings with top officials, saying it remains unclear whether Washington is serious about diplomacy. He stated that Iran had presented “a workable framework to permanently end the war.”



An Iranian diplomatic source told the Times of Israel that Tehran would not accept “maximalist demands,” while US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said Iran still has a chance to reach a “good deal,” urging it to abandon nuclear ambitions in verifiable ways.



Tensions remain high as the US and Iran stay at an impasse, with disruptions in the Strait of Hormuz impacting global shipping and energy markets. Iran has reduced maritime traffic significantly and warned it would respond to continued US actions in the region.



Despite a ceasefire, both sides are weighing next steps, with reports indicating Israel and the US are preparing contingency plans should hostilities resume.

Trump Cancels Pakistan Trip For Envoys, Slams Iran Talks As “Time-Wasting”

Canadian York Regional Police are currently searching for a male suspect following an attempted forced entry and assault at the Sephardic Kehila Centre in Thornhill, just north of Toronto. The incident, which occurred on Shabbos morning, is being investigated by authorities as a hate crime.



According to police, the suspect attempted to force his way into the shul, located on Bathurst Street just north of Steeles Avenue West, at approximately 9:30 a.m. The suspect assaulted a victim during the incident before fleeing the scene. Baruch Hashem, investigators confirmed that the victim was not injured.



Local officials and community organizations have expressed outrage over the attack, emphasizing the alarming rise in hostility directed at the Jewish community.



Vaughan Mayor Stephen Del Duca stated he had been made aware of the “deeply disturbing assault&#8221; and is in contact with police, urging anyone with information to come forward.



“At a time when antisemitism and Jew hatred is on the rise, we must be vigilant and do everything possible to support and protect our Jewish residents,” Del Duca wrote in a statement on social media. “This remains a top priority for me as mayor of Vaughan.&#8221;



The UJA Federation of Greater Toronto noted that the incident was promptly reported to the Jewish Security Network (JSN), which ensured York Regional Police were notified and are supporting the investigation.



&#8220;We are relieved our community member was not seriously injured,&#8221; the UJA stated. &#8220;That does not lessen the seriousness of the attack, which reflects a continued pattern of antisemitic violence targeting our community. The Jewish community, like all Canadians, deserves to live in peace and security. As these incidents become more normalized, they erode public safety and our way of life as Canadians. This cannot be tolerated.&#8221;



The Greater Toronto Area has seen a sharp uptick in antisemitic incidents since the Hamas massacre in Eretz Yisrael on October 7, 2023. This latest assault follows a string of violent acts targeting Jewish institutions in the area.



Earlier this month, a Jewish-owned restaurant in Toronto was riddled with over ten rounds of gunfire, shattering the display window. In early March, shots were fired at the Beth Avraham Yoseph of Toronto (BAYT) in Vaughan, as well as the Shaarei Shomayim shul in Toronto.



While no physical injuries were reported in those shootings, the buildings sustained damage.



Data released by the Toronto Police Service recently found that the city experienced a historic high in reported hate crime incidents, with the Jewish community remaining the leading target. In response to the growing threat, the federal government of Canada recently announced it will allocate $10 million to help Jewish communities strengthen security at their institutions.

Ontario Police Searching for Suspect After Assault at Thornhill Shul on Shabbos Morning

An international flotilla seeking to breach the blockade on the Gaza Strip is currently en route to the coastline, declaring its mission as delivering humanitarian assistance to Palestinians, though previous flotila projects served chiefly as symbolic, provocative moves without significant amounts of aid being transported.



The “Global Sumud” flotilla departed from Barcelona, Spain, in mid-April, and reached the port of Syracuse in Sicily, Italy, on Thursday.



A flotilla organized by the same group in September of last year was met with decisive Israeli action, including a naval interception in international waters, the detention of hundreds of activists aboard, and their subsequent deportation from Israel. That operation was later found to have ties to the Hamas terror group.



The current convoy includes members of civil society groups, activists, and volunteers from multiple countries. Some participants told a Turkish news agency that their objective is to establish a humanitarian corridor into Gaza, support rebuilding efforts, and show solidarity with residents of the Gaza Strip.



Roughly 100 vessels are expected to participate in the flotilla, with ships originating from Turkey and Greece.

Flotilla Of Up To 100 Vessels Heads Toward Gaza In Bid To Challenge Blockade

President Donald Trump and other top U.S. officials were evacuated Saturday night after gunfire erupted near the White House Correspondents’ Dinner, triggering a swift response from Secret Service and law enforcement.



The incident occurred at a Washington, D.C. hotel where the annual dinner was being held. Authorities said the shooting took place near the main magnetometer screening area outside the ballroom where Trump and hundreds of guests were gathered.



Secret Service spokesperson Anthony Guglielmi said in a statement that “the president and the first lady are safe along all protectees,” adding that law enforcement was actively assessing the situation. One suspect was taken into custody.



Trump later confirmed on Truth Social that the shooter had been apprehended. “Quite an evening in D.C. Secret Service and Law Enforcement did a fantastic job,” he wrote. “They acted quickly and bravely. The shooter has been apprehended, and I have recommended that we ‘LET THE SHOW GO ON’ but, will entirely be guided by Law Enforcement.”



Journalist Karol Markowicz reported that the suspect has been identified as 31-year-old Cole Tomas Allen of Torrance, California, and that he is in custody.



 A Secret Service agent was shot by the assailant, but was protected by a bulletproof vest and will recover, Fox News&#8217; Sean Hannity said later Saturday night.



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Despite Trump’s initial desire to continue the event, authorities ultimately called off the remainder of the evening. “The evening will be much different than planned, and we’ll just, plain, have to do it again,” Trump added.



There were no immediate reports of serious injuries. A CNN reporter said a law enforcement officer “took a shot to the vest,” but officials later indicated there were no injuries among attendees. White House Correspondents’ Association President Weijia Jiang confirmed that no one at the event was harmed.



Eyewitness accounts described a chaotic scene as gunshots rang out. CNN anchor Wolf Blitzer said he saw the shooter fire a “major weapon,” discharging “at least half a dozen shots” after he stepped out of the ballroom. Guests inside the venue were instructed to take cover, with many ducking under tables as security personnel rushed in.



“The Secret Service and other authorities swarmed the banquet hall as guests ducked under tables by the hundreds,” one account noted, with shouts of “Out of the way, sir!” and warnings to get down echoing through the room.



A volunteer told the NY Post that the gunman assembled a long weapon in an unsecured room near the entrance, reportedly out of view of security, event. The withess, Helen Mabus, described the space as a bar cart storage area with no security presence, where the suspect removed parts from a bag, assembled the weapon, then moved quickly toward the ballroom entrance.



Mabus said the gunman ran toward the stairs leading to the ballroom and opened fire in multiple directions, with at least ten shots heard as panic erupted among guests and staff.



The high-profile event was attended by senior administration officials, including Vice President J.D. Vance, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, and Secretary of State Marco Rubio.



Authorities have not yet released an official motive. Trump said he planned to hold a press conference at the White House later Saturday night.

Trump Evacuated After Shooting Near White House Correspondents’ Dinner, Suspect Identified And Apprehended

In a move that has dismayed advocates for community safety, Mayor Zohran Mamdani issued the first veto of his administration on Friday, striking down a City Council measure aimed at establishing protective buffer zones around schools and educational facilities.



While the Mayor vetoed the school safety measure, a companion bill &#8211; which establishes similar NYPD-enforced buffer zones around houses of worship &#8211;&nbsp; passed the City Council with a veto-proof majority, leaving the Mayor with little political recourse to block it without facing an all but guaranteed override.



The vetoed school buffer bill, sponsored by Education Committee Chair Eric Dinowitz, was drafted in response to the increasingly chaotic and often hostile protests that have plagued educational institutions across the city. For the Jewish community, these measures were seen as vital safeguards amidst a troubling rise in antisemitic crime.



Agudas Yisrael of America, which had engaged in a strong push to get Mayor Mamdani to sign both bills, released a statement Friday expressing profound disappointment over the veto.



“The Mayor has now vetoed the school buffer bill, thereby stymying an important initiative designed to protect students, staff and others in school buildings against unlawful harassment,” Agudath Israel stated. “In the Jewish community especially, where troubling incidents of such harassment have become all too commonplace, the Mayor&#8217;s veto stings deeply.” Mayor Mamdani justified his veto by citing pressure from progressive advocacy groups, arguing that the bill’s definition of educational institutions was too broad. He claimed the legislation raised constitutional concerns and could potentially stifle protests from labor unions, immigration advocates, and groups demanding divestment.



Regarding his decision to let the houses of worship bill pass, the Mayor claimed that following a legal review, he found its scope to be narrower, though he maintained his ideological disagreement with treating protests as inherent security concerns. Political realities, however, underscore that a veto on the houses of worship buffer bill would have been easily overridden by the Council.



The necessity of the houses of worship bill was highlighted last year when pro-Palestinian protesters targeted a shul on the Upper East Side, sparking outrage and demands for increased protection for congregants.



City Council Speaker Julie Menin sharply criticized the Mayor&#8217;s veto of the school bill. “Ensuring students can enter and exit their schools without fear of harassment or intimidation should not be controversial,” she said, noting that the bill fully protects First Amendment rights while ensuring safe access to educational buildings.



Dinowitz echoed this sentiment, expressing his disappointment and stating plainly, “Students should not be harassed on their way into their school building. It’s as simple as that.” The school buffer bill originally passed with 30 votes, just four short of a veto-proof majority.



According to Politico, Menin is currently considering whipping the necessary votes to override the Mayor’s veto.



Despite the setback, community advocates remain resolute. Agudah emphasized that they will not back down from ensuring the safety of Jewish students and institutions.



“Agudath Israel is working with city, state and federal officials to take tangible steps to protect our community from antisemitism,” the organization stated. “And while we do our shtadlonus advocacy, we are reminded once again that all is in the loving Hands of the one and only Shomer Yisroel, and that it is to Him that we must direct our most powerful shtadlonus tool: tefilla.”

Confirmed Report: Witkoff to Meet Mediators in Highest-Level Meeting Since Gaza Ceasefire

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