Russian President Vladimir Putin authorized influence operations to help Donald Trump in last November’s presidential election, according to a declassified intelligence assessment that found broad efforts by the Kremlin and Iran to shape the outcome of the race but ultimately no evidence that any foreign actor changed votes or otherwise disrupted the voting process. The report released Tuesday from the Office of the Director of National Intelligence represents the most detailed assessment of the array of foreign threats to the 2020 election. These included efforts by Iran to undermine confidence in the vote and harm Trump’s re-election prospects as well as Moscow operations that relied on Trump’s allies to smear Joe Biden, the eventual winner.

Coronavirus czar Prof. Nachman Ash said on Monday that Israel could reach herd immunity when at least seven million Israelis are vaccinated. “That means children will also need to be vaccinated,” Ash told Ynet. “I hope that will happen in the summer [for children above age 12]. We’re waiting for the results of Pfizer’s research on the subject.” Currently, there are almost 5.2 million Israelis who are vaccinated, about 55% of the total population, of whom 4.2 million are fully vaccinated. Children under age 16, who cannot yet be vaccinated, comprise about 30% of Israel’s general population [20% of whom are above age 12], and about 50% of the Chareidi population in Israel.

A fascinating psychological profile of Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah was recently revealed in Israeli media after an IDF intelligence file on him was made public, including his obsession with the Israeli media, his extreme narcissism, his fear of being assassinated and his opposition to being vaccinated against COVID. Nasrallah was born in 1960 in Beirut, the oldest son of a Shiite family with nine children. In February 1992, Hezbollah’s Secretary-General Abbas al-Musawi, was assassinated by Israel, and Nasrallah was appointed his successor. “Nasrallah lives the Israeli media,” said Dr. K., a senior IDF intelligence researcher quoted by Yediot Achranot. “He’s familiar with all the journalists. This is how he studies the Israeli public.

Former President Donald Trump on Tuesday urged Americans to get vaccinated to help curb the Covid-19 pandemic, calling it “safe” and “something that works.” “I would recommend it and I would recommend it to a lot of people that don’t want to get it and a lot of those people voted for me, frankly,” Trump told Fox News’ Maria Bartiromo. “But again,” he continued, “we have our freedoms and we have to live by that and I agree with that also. But it is a great vaccine. It is a safe vaccine and it is something that works.” (YWN World Headquarters – NYC)

HaGaon HaRav Gershon Edelstein spoke on Monday at the UTJ Keness that took place at his home, attended by all the members of the Moetzes Gedolei HaTorah. The Rosh Yeshivah spoke very sharply about the growing incitement in the media against the Chareidi sector. “As is well-known, today there’s great incitement against the Chareidi sector,” the Rosh Yeshivah said. “They want to establish decrees against us, decrees on Shemiras Shabbos, on chinuch, on violating religion, decrees of Shmad! There’s a lot of propaganda in the media against Chareidim – this poses a great risk to us. Incitement has an influence, there are many who are influenced by it.

“These are the things you should do: Speak the truth to one another, judge truth and judgment of peace in your cities. And don’t contrive evil against one another, and don’t love perjury, because all these are what I hate—declares the Lord.” (Zecharya 8:16-17). Thes above pessukim were uncovered in an exceedingly rare discovery, in which dozens of 2,000-year-old scroll fragments were excavated under arduous conditions in a bold rescue operation from the Judean Desert “Cave of Horror,” the Israel Antiquities Authority (IAA) announced on Tuesday. The parchment fragments, bearing pessukim from the neviim of Zecharya and Nachum, are written in Greek, with only the names of Hashem written in Hebrew – in the script used during the time of the first Beis Hamikdash.

Brazilian federal police raided the Rio de Janeiro church on Friday of the pastor who led his congregation in praying for a second Holocaust for Jews, JTA reported. The raid was part of an operation named “Shalom” against Pastor Tupirani da Hora Lores, who prayed that G-d should “destroy the Jews like vermin.” Last year, a Jewish group discovered an online video of da Hora Lores leading his congregation in shouting “Massacre the Jews, G-d, hit them with your sword, for they have left G-d, they have left the nations.” “G-d, what you have done in World War II, you must do again, this is what we ask for in our prayers to you: Justice, justice, justice!” The congregants are heard fervently repeating the pastor’s words.

Thanks to a public-pressure campaign to free multiple Agunos, yet another woman has been freed. Jonathan Abtan has given his wife Michelle a Get on Tuesday afternoon. The Get was done in the office of Mr. Harry Adjmi, one of the pillars of the Sephardic community in Flatbush / Deal. Mr Adjmi along with leading Sephardic Rabbonim in NY have been extremely instrumental in freeing at least three Agunos the past week and half. This is just one of a few Agunos who received a Get the past two weeks, following an outpouring of protests on social media in support of many women who are literally chained to their husbands.

Israel has to date spent $787,766,720 (2.6 billion shekels) to secure vaccines against the coronavirus for its citizens, the Health Ministry stated on Tuesday. The data was publicized for the first time after Knesset Finance Committee chairman MK Moshe Gafni (UTJ) requested that the ministry share the information with the committee. Another 2.5 million shekels has been allocated to purchase additional vaccines, the Heath Ministry said. The funds were used to secure deals with several pharmaceutical companies, including Pfizer, Moderna, and AstraZeneca. “I want to praise the prime minister for the vaccination drive,” Finance Committee chairman Moshe Gafni (UTJ) said. “Israel is ahead of all other countries in the world, baruch Hashem.” (YWN Israel Desk – Jerusalem)

Israel is on the brink of reaching peace deals with four more countries, Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu said in an interview with Ynet on Tuesday. “There are four more peace agreements on the way,” Netanyahu said, holding up four fingers. “And the people come to us because they know that this is the real thing.” The prime minister added that he received a phone call from a leader in the region on Monday night and they engaged in a 45-minute conversation. Netanyahu’s statement about four potential peace deals corresponds with a statement by former White House adviser Jared Kushner in a recent op-ed in the Wall Street Journal. “There are also several more countries on the brink of joining the Abraham Accords, including Oman, Qatar and Mauritania,” Kushner stated. “The table is set.