Israeli startups raised a total of $1.55 billion in the first quarter of 2019 across 128 deals, according to a new report published Tuesday by Tel Aviv-based market research firm IVC Research Center Ltd. and law firm Zysman Aharoni Gayer & Co. (ZAG/S&W). The sum represents a 28 percent increase compared to the first quarter of 2018, spread across 15 percent more deals. Venture capital players accounted for 71 deals and $1.3 billion of the total sum raised.

Police arrested a 37-year-old New Jersey man for trying to enter St Patrick’s Cathedral in New York City with 2 gasoline cans and lighter fluid Wednesday — 2 days after fire devastated Notre Dame.
“His basic story was that he was cutting through the cathedral to get to Madison Avenue, that his car had run out of gas. We took a look at the vehicle. It was not out of gas, and at that point he was taken into custody,” NYPD’s Deputy Commissioner of Intelligence and Counterterrorism John Miller said.
No fire was started in the cathedral, which was built in 1878. The incident takes place just  days after a fire tore through the centuries old cathedral at Notre Dame.

Nine Months to the Siyum HaShas
Lomdei Daf Yomi are celebrating the completion of Maseches Chulin, inching their way closer to the 13th Global Siyum Hashas of Daf Yomi, slated for January 1, 2020 at Metlife Stadium.
The study of this 142-blatt masechta began on November 29, 2018, and concluded on April 18, the day before Erev Pesach 5779, a period of almost five months.
Daf Yomi has now commenced Maseches Bechoros, the first of the final six masechtos in the cycle.

By Rabbi Pinchos Lipschutz
The essence of the Haggadah and the entirety of Pesach is the relationship between father and son and the obligation for a father to transmit to his son the story of the geulah from Mitzrayim. The Torah and Chazal prescribe different ways to speak to different children and lay out the format for the Seder evening conversation.
The people of Adopt-a-Kollel were kind enough to gift me Haggadah Nifle’osecha Asicha from Rav Yitzchok Zilberstein. I opened it up to the page on which he tells the following story.

Rav Gershon Edelstein spoke during his weekly shiur about the results of the elections and the kiddush Hashem involved.
However, Rav Gershon said, “we have not yet fulfilled our obligations, because there is a huge number of our Jewish brothers who need support. They’re not happy, and they’re missing the happiness in life that Torah-observant families who keep Torah and the mitzvos, Shabbos, Torah, and tefillah – all these things bring happiness and spiritual enjoyment, and there are people who lack them! There are many who lack a happy life, and we need to feel pity for them.”

Russia denied on Wednesday Israeli media reports suggesting Russian operatives had exhumed the remains of former Mossad spy Eli Cohen from Syria.
“We resolutely refute the fabrications of a number of Israeli media that Russian representatives allegedly removed from Syria the remains of Mossad agent Eli Cohen, who was executed in Damascus in 1965,” the Russia’s embassy in Israel said in a statement.
The embassy responded to a report on Monday by Israel’s Channel 12 which said Syrian opposition groups claimed that a Russian team had exhumed the remains of former Mossad spy Eli Cohen, lauded in Israel as a national hero for the sacrifices he made for the benefit of public service.

2020 Democratic presidential hopeful Andrew Yang discusses his proposal for universal basic income.
WATCH:

The Instagram accounts of Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and Qasem Soleimani, the head of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps’ (IRGC) Quds Force, were suspended Tuesday – a day after the IRGC was officially designated by the United States as a terrorist organization.
Instagram also suspended the accounts of IRGC commander-in-chief Mohammad Ali Jafari and Brig. Gen. Mohammed Pakpour, the commander of the IRGC’s ground forces.
Khamenei’s English account was suspended, though his Farsi one remains active.
The reason for the suspensions is unclear.
Instagram did not respond to a request for comment.
(JNS.org)
{Matzav.com}