[Photos below.] The previously reported trip of Rav Azriel Auerbach, rov of Kehillas Chanichei Hayeshivos of Bayit Vegan in Yerushalayim, has officially begun with his departure from Eretz Yisroel and arrival in the United States, where he is scheduled to address the fourth Adirei HaTorah gathering, to be held in Pennsylvania.
Rav Auerbach’s close talmidim escorted him to the Pateh Lounge at Ben Gurion Airport to bid him tzeischem l’shalom.
On the American side, a group of supporters waited at Newark Liberty International Airport in the early hours of the morning to greet the senior posek.

In a major development amid the ongoing crisis surrounding Israel’s draft law, Israeli Prime Minister Bibi Netanyahu’s office announced early Friday morning that “significant progress” had been made in negotiations, with efforts underway to finalize an agreed-upon version of the bill before the start of Shabbos.
The statement came following a high-stakes meeting Thursday night that lasted more than seven hours, attended by Prime Minister Netanyahu, Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee Chairman MK Yoel (Yuli) Edelstein, former Minister Ariel Attias, and Cabinet Secretary Yossi Fuchs.

In a historic and potentially transformative moment for global Jewry, the preliminary results of the 2025 World Zionist Organization (WZO) elections reveal a seismic shift in Jewish representation and priorities: For the first time in history, Orthodox-affiliated slates have collectively achieved a majority in the WZO. Leading this groundswell is Eretz HaKodesh, which has surged to a commanding position with 29,159 votes.

The IDF is preparing to issue more than 50,000 conscription notices to chareidim in the upcoming 2025–2026 draft cycle, set to begin on July 1. This move was outlined in a briefing following an oversight session chaired by Attorney-General Gali Baharav-Miara on Thursday.
The session was part of a continuing series of monthly meetings monitoring the state’s adherence to the High Court’s June 2024 decision, which eliminated the legal exemption previously granted to chareidi men from military service.

It is with great sadness that Matzav.com reports the petirah of Rabbi Eliezer (Ezzy) Newhouse z”l, a beloved longtime resident of Lakewood, NJ.
He resided for decades at the corner of 7th Street and Forest Avenue, just steps from the main campus of Bais Medrash Govoha.
R’ Ezzy was a son of the famed Rabbi Avrohom and Rebbetzin Rivka Newhouse, founders of the Bais Yaakov school in Williamsburg and Camp Bais Yaakov in Ferndale, NY in the Catskills.

In a sharply worded message on Wednesday evening, Rav Yitzchak Yosef, former chief rabbi of Israel, made it clear that the latest developments surrounding the chareidi draft bill and the position taken by MK Yoel “Yuli” Edelstein could spell the end of the current government’s term.
During a meeting at his home, Rav Yosef received former minister and Shas negotiator Ariel Attias for a detailed update on the discussions within the Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee regarding the draft legislation and the mounting political crisis threatening to dissolve the Knesset.

As tensions escalate between Prime Minister Netanyahu and the chareidi parties over the draft law crisis, new developments reveal mounting political instability. A private, one-on-one meeting took place on Wednesday between MK Benny Gantz, chairman of the National Unity Party, and Rav Reuven Elbaz, a senior member of Shas’s Moetzet Chachmei HaTorah. The meeting was held at Rav Elbaz’s residence.

In a series of bombshell recordings aired for the first time Wednesday evening on Channel 13, Israeli Prime Minister Bibi Netanyahu is heard speaking in English with Rav Moshe Hillel Hirsch, pleading for more time to pass the chareidi draft law. Netanyahu tells Rav Hirsch that the reason he removed Defense Minister Yoav Gallant and IDF Chief of Staff Herzi Halevi was because they stood in the way of the legislation.
“We need to save not just the State of Israel, but also the Torah world,” Netanyahu is heard saying in the recording. “That is what I strongly believe in. With G-d’s help, that’s what we’ll do. In order to do it, we need time to pass the law properly, so it can’t be challenged.”

For the first time in 17 years, a new Sefer Torah was brought into the main beis medrash of Ponovezh Yeshiva in Bnei Brak. The event, held on Tuesday, Isru Chag Shavuos, marked a poignant milestone and drew thousands.
The Sefer Torah was dedicated l’ilui nishmas the Rosh HaYeshiva, HaRav Gershon Edelstein zt”l.

Rav Avraham Yosef publicly criticized the growing practice of drinking coffee inside shuls during Shacharis, calling the phenomenon deeply inappropriate and widespread in many communities.
Speaking on Kol Chai Radio, Rav Yosef addressed a listener’s question regarding whether a tired individual may drink coffee during the zemiros section before Baruch She’amar. His response was unequivocal: “It’s unthinkable,” he said. “If someone wants to drink coffee, they can do so outside the shul—not inside. A shul is not a coffee shop.”