The Belzer Rebbe made an unusual statement about the vacation habits of some of his chassidim and others. During the summer break, numerous chareidi families travel to Europe, while others choose to vacation in Israel.
For many years, the Belzer Rebbe has spent the summer in a vacation home in Telz-Stone, near Yerushalayim. This year, however, the Rebbe has decided to remain in Yerushalayim, staying in his residence and welcoming more visitors than he has in previous years.
When asked about his decision, he explained that it was inappropriate to go on vacation while soldiers are risking their lives.

The Supreme Court of New Jersey ruled on Wednesday in favor of Rosenbaum Yeshiva of North Jersey, in River Edge, N.J., in a defamation suit brought against the Jewish day school by a rabbi it had fired, citing inappropriate interactions with elementary-age girls under Halacha.
“Religious schools should not have to fear being dragged into court when making decisions that seek to protect children in their care,” stated Laura Wolk Slavis, counsel at Becket, which filed a brief in the case. “The justices ensured that this freedom is upheld for Jews and for people of all faiths across the Garden State.”

Excavations of the Great Synagogue of Vilna, Lithuania, destroyed by the Nazis during the Holocaust, have revealed the floor of the main prayer hall, the Israel Antiquities Authority announced on Thursday. The uncovered sections are decorated with red, black and white flowers.
The unusual dig, which first began last decade, has also uncovered two huge concrete basins under the Shul’s bathhouse and a Mikvah, according to the IAA.
The august Shul, built between 1630-1633, was in continuous use for 300 years until World War II. Constructed in the Renaissance-Baroque style, the large and magnificent Shul was the oldest and most significant building for Lithuanian Jewry.

In May, Israel announced a new requirement for visitors: an Electronic Travel Authorization (ETA) would be necessary for entry. As initially reported by Chaim V’Chessed, this new policy would mandate that visitors apply for an ETA before traveling to Israel.
The ETA application process is already available on a non-mandatory basis for visitors from select countries, including the United States and Germany. The requirement was originally set to become mandatory on August 1, 2024.

On Wednesday, Israeli Police announced that remains were found at the heritage site where cars that were burned by Hamas were taken. They are undergoing examinations to determine if there are any human remains from the victims of Hamas’s atrocities.
The police wrote: “With the outbreak of the events of October 7th, the officers of MATPA (National Enforcement Unit Operation Department) rushed to Kibbutz Be’eri and fought heroic battles, during which they saved many lives.
“At the police heritage site, burnt findings and remains were found in the vehicles, some were taken to be examined by the Institute of Forensic Medicine due to the possibility that they are bone fragments. The families of the fallen who were in the vehicles were notified about the examination,”

On Wednesday evening, Kibbutz Nir Oz announced that the body of Maya Goren had been recovered from Gaza by the IDF.
The Kibbutz’s statement read: “Tonight, we were informed that the body of the late Maya Goren was recovered in a military rescue operation. After over nine months, she was brought back home for burial. The family was updated in the last few hours about the operation,” the kibbutz said in a statement.
“The Nir Oz community will continue the fight for the return of all of the hostages, the living for rehabilitation and the murdered for burial,”

Israel National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir said on Wednesday that he has prayed atop Yerushalayim’s Har Habayis and intends to allow all Jews to openly pray at the holiest site in the world, changing the status quo that has existed there since 1967.
“I was at Har Habayis last week. I prayed on Har Habayis, and we pray on Har Habayis,” Ben-Gvir declared during a summit on the issue hosted at the Knesset, adding, “I am the political echelon, and the political echelon permits prayer on Har Habayis.
In response to Ben-Gvir’s statement, the Israel Police declared that Jewish prayer remains prohibited on Har Habayis.
“We do not allow [Jewish] prayer at Har Habayis,” said Ch. Supt. Eyal Avraham, the commander of the police’s Holy Sites Unit.

Israelis are preparing for potential unrest after the army issued draft notices to 1,000 chareidi men this week. This court-ordered action represents the most significant challenge yet to the long-standing exemption of chareidi yeshiva students from military service.
However, in chareidi communities, the young men who received the draft notices show no signs of worry.
Some young men might consider enlisting if the army provided “chareidi-appropriate” frameworks, reflecting a recent Smith Consulting poll presented to the Knesset State Control Committee. In the poll, 59 percent of respondents indicated that tracks allowing them to maintain their lifestyle would positively impact overall enlistment numbers.

FROM SORROW TO CELEBRATION
This year, make the days of mourning truly meaningful…and discover the hope of rebuilding.
Rabbi Paysach Krohn shares his compelling insights and — of course — dozens of uplifting stories that open new vistas of understanding of both the tragedy of Churban and the glorious opportunities we have to hasten the geulah.

MK Yitzchok Pindrus of United Torah Judaism assured that his party will not topple the government. During an interview with Kol Barama Radio, Pindrus urged chareidi yeshiva students to heed the guidance of gedolim and ignore the IDF’s summons for enlistment.
“I do not know a yeshiva student who asks the Knesset committee what to do if someone tells him to desecrate Shabbos. So, too, yeshiva students do not be turn to me or to the Knesset committee on the matter of enlistment,” he stated. “The gedolei Yisroel have instructed not to respond to the summons, and each person needs to do what halacha dictates.”