The recent visit to the U.S. by six senior roshei yeshiva from Eretz Yisroel not only marked an unprecedented moment in Jewish history, but also sparked an equally unparalleled revolution of American Jewry rallying to the support of the Lomdei Torah thousands of miles away in Eretz Yisroel through the newly established Keren Olam Hatorah. Over the course of the roshei yeshiva’s short trip, an astounding $83 million was raised from philanthropists in the tri-state area and Toronto. Of that figure, $14.8 million was raised in Lakewood, $13.3 million in Brooklyn, $12.4 million in Manhattan, $11.5 million in Deal, $9.9 million in the 5 Towns, $8.5 million in Monsey, and $6 million in Toronto.

Three Israelis were injured in a stabbing attack on the second floor of a mall in Karmiel in northern Israel on Wednesday at about noon. Two are in very serious condition and the third is in moderate to serious condition. The terrorist was neutralized at the scene of the attack. This is a developing story. (YWN Israel Desk – Jerusalem)

A five-week-old infant from the Jerusalem area whose mother refused to get vaccinated for whooping cough during pregnancy died of the disease about a week ago. Two days later, a seven-year-old girl from Netanya, whose parents refused to vaccinate her against tetanus, was hospitalized in the pediatric intensive care unit at Laniado Hospital after contracting the serious and excruciatingly painful disease. Ynet reported that the lowest vaccination rates against whooping cough are found almost exclusively in Jerusalem and in religious and Chareidi communities outside the capital. The report quoted Dr. Maurit Beeri, a pediatrician and the director of ALYN Rehabilitation Hospital for Children and Youth, who slammed parents who neglect their children by refusing to vaccinate them.

Hundreds of soldiers from the Netzach Yehudah battalion who fought in Gaza participated in a joyous Hachnasas Sefer Torah on Tuesday, marching from the Gazan border to the shul at the Erez base. The Sefer Torah was donated by members of the Syrian community in Brooklyn headed by HaRav Ezriel Mansour who spoke to Rav Yosef Tzvi Rimon, the Chief Rabbi of Gush Etzion, and told him that they were interested in donating a small Sefer Torah that could serve the needs of troops operating in Gaza. Ra Rimon recommended that the Sefer Torah be donated to Netzech Yehudah, whose soldiers are operating in Gaza and lost precious members.

A flight from Madrid to Montevideo, Uruguay, operated by Air Europa, experienced severe turbulence on Monday, leaving dozens of passengers injured. The Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner, flight UX045, was forced to make an emergency landing at Natal Airport in northeastern Brazil just after 2:30 a.m. According to the health secretariat of the state of Rio Grande do Norte, around 30 passengers were taken to local hospitals in Natal with minor abrasions or orthopedic traumas. One passenger even became lodged above an overhead bin during the chaos. The interior cabin was left in disarray, with ceiling panels torn off and oxygen masks suspended above seats. Ambulances were waiting outside the cabin window to transport injured passengers. (YWN World Headquarters – NYC)

National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir responded on Thursday to the Shin Bet placing blame on him for the release of the director of Shifa Hospital due to overcrowded prison conditions. To his credit, since he entered his position, Ben-Gvir has dramatically changed the formerly cushy conditions of Israeli jails for terrorists, where in the past they used to receive satisfying meals, earn a college degree and buy a choice of snacks at the canteen. An Israeli wrote on X on Tuesday: “You can like Ben-Gvir or not but you can’t argue with the fact that he sets a proper standard in the prisons for terrorists.

At the end of a public battle against the Defense Ministry and the IDF, the Public Council for Commemoration of Fallen Soldiers ruled almost unanimously on Tuesday that the family of fallen soldier Yisrael Yudkin, H’yd, should be allowed to inscribe the acronym of the words השם יקום דמו on his matzeivah. The 20 members of the Public Council for Commemoration of Fallen Soldiers discussed the request of the Yudkin family, which was joined by other religious families of fallen soldiers, and approved the request with a vote of 19 against 1.

Hunter Biden, the convicted felon and crack-addicted son of President Joe Biden, has been attending meetings with his father and senior White House staff since Monday evening, according to four sources familiar with the matter who spoke to NBC News. Sources close to the White House revealed that Hunter Biden has been advising his father since the family gathered at Camp David over the weekend.

A federal lawsuit has been filed in the US against Iran, Syria, and North Korea on behalf of 125 victims of the October 7 Hamas terror attack, seeking at least $4 billion in damages. The lawsuit, organized by the Anti-Defamation League and Crowell & Moring LLP, alleges that the three countries provided material support to Hamas, enabling the attack that killed 1,200 people and took 251 hostages. The plaintiffs, including US citizens injured in the attack and relatives of those killed, accuse the three countries of providing financial, military, and tactical support to Hamas. The US government has designated Iran, Syria, and North Korea as state sponsors of terrorism.

There was widespread outrage among government ministers when reports on Tuesday morning said that infrastructure work has begun in the Gaza Strip to connect a water desalination and sewage treatment facility water to Israel’s electrical grid. Channel 12 reported that it obtained a document showing that Defense Minister Yoav Gallant approved the work, calling it “a basic humanitarian need” in order to prevent the spread of disease. Finance Minister Betzalel Smotrich responded to the reports by stating: “We’ve lost it completely. We are rebuilding Gaza with our own hands – before demilitarization. Mr.