Following the violent pogrom in Amsterdam in which a mob attacked Israelis, pro-Palestinian activists in Antwerp have shared videos on social media showing attacks on Orthodox Jews. Although the attacks occurred two weeks ago, the videos were only released on Monday as a show of solidarity with the attackers in Amsterdam, sparking renewed concerns about safety for the Jewish community in Belgium. One of the videos shows a 14-year-old Orthodox Jewish boy being assaulted by Muslim assailants in an Orthodox neighborhood in Antwerp. The boy’s family had initially refrained from filing a police report, citing the frequency of such incidents. However, seeing the attackers boldly sharing the footage online, the family has now decided to report the assault.

by Rabbi Yair Hoffman THE RE-ELECTION OF President Trump has sparked new interest in the blessing that is

Opposition Leader Yair Lapid is demanding that newly appointed Defense Minister Yisrael Katz to issue 7,000 enlistment orders to Charedim, warning that failure to do so would label Katz “the minister of evasion” rather than a true defense minister. The draft orders were announced last week under Katz’s predecessor, Yoav Gallant. “If these orders stop, or disappear, or evaporate or dissolve, then Israel Katz is not the defense minister… he’s a petty politician who received a political appointment because Netanyahu said to himself that ‘there is no problem pushing him around, he has no backbone,'” Lapid asserted.

Israel has officially confirmed its responsibility for a series of lethal pager attacks that struck Hezbollah-controlled areas in Lebanon this September, in an unprecedented operation against the Iran-backed militant group. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu authorized the assault, said Omer Dostri, spokesperson for Netanyahu’s office, marking Israel’s first open acknowledgment of involvement in the attack. The incident, which took place on September 17, saw thousands of pagers explode in Hezbollah strongholds in southern Beirut and surrounding regions. In a coordinated wave, the pagers emitted a beep as if receiving a message before detonating, causing extensive casualties. Among those injured, many suffered severe injuries, including eye damage, lost fingers, and abdominal wounds.

President-elect Donald Trump on Monday named former Rep. Lee Zeldin to lead the Environmental Protection Agency as he continues to build out his future administration with loyal supporters. Trump, in a statement, said Zeldin, who mounted a failed bid for governor of New York in 2022, would “ensure fair and swift deregulatory decisions that will be enacted in a way to unleash the power of American businesses, while at the same time maintaining the highest environmental standards, including the cleanest air and water on the planet.” Zeldin, who left Congress in 2023, was a surprising pick for the role.

In a scathing analysis, CNN’s Fareed Zakaria offered a harsh critique of the Democratic Party just days after former President Donald Trump decisively secured a second term, sweeping critical battleground states and winning the popular vote. On his program GPS, Zakaria argued that Democrats’ electoral woes were a result of missteps, tone-deaf policies, and a fundamental misreading of American public sentiment. Zakaria, who has often leaned toward nuanced perspectives, held nothing back in pinpointing where the Democrats went wrong, particularly Vice President Kamala Harris’s campaign and the broader party strategy.

Six young Arabs were arrested on Sunday near the Chareidi neighborhoods in Antwerp for planning to attack Chareidi Jews. Antwerp police confirmed the information to local media. “A few young people planned yesterday to carry out a similar action as in the Netherlands (an hour and a half drive from the Netherlands) in the Jewish quarter of Antwerp, and as a result, we increased patrols,” said Antwerp police spokesperson Wouter Bruyns. The police arrested six suspects, including several minors. Some of the suspects were caught in a local park and others were caught in the Chareidi neighborhood itself. “Suspects with suspicious items in their pockets, or flags, were detained for several hours,” Bruyns said.

John Hinckley Jr., infamous for the 1981 shooting that wounded then-President Ronald Reagan, recently addressed a troubling influx of violent messages directed toward him on social media. Hinckley, now 69, spent decades in a mental health facility following his attempt on Reagan’s life, which he claimed was to impress an actress. Since his release two years ago, Hinckley has promoted music and peace, distancing himself from his violent past. This week, just days after former President Donald Trump won a second term in the White House, Hinckley posted on urging people to “leave him alone.” While he did not specify the reason for his post, many speculate it was in response to calls for him to revert to his violent history and attack Donald Trump.

The IDF is reportedly close to concluding a successful ground operation against Hezbollah in southern Lebanon, achieving major strategic gains with limited international media coverage. Conducted over the past six weeks, the IDF’s campaign has involved thousands of troops from four divisions, marking a substantial military effort without reaching the scale of a full invasion. The operation has led to the destruction of approximately 30 Hezbollah-controlled villages along the Israel-Lebanon border. These locations had been transformed into heavily fortified terror bases, designed as launching points for a potential Hezbollah invasion into Israel.

A disturbing incident captured on video shows two people on a motorcycle swiping a yarmulka off the head of a Jewish man as he was crossing a street in Staten Island. The video, shared on social media by Staten Island Shomrim, depicts the riders approaching the man and knocking off his kippah before speeding away. Shomrim posted the footage on X, urging the public’s assistance in identifying the individuals involved. “Help us apprehend these individuals. Wanted for a despicable act of pushing a Kippah off a Jewish man’s head,” the Shomrim’s statement read. Shomrim encouraged anyone with information to contact the NYPD’s 121st Precinct Detective Squad at 718-697-8712 or the Shomrim hotline directly at 718-370-2121. (YWN World Headquarters – NYC)